Crane (Walter, illustrator). Bijbel dat is de Gansche Heilige Schrift bevattende al de kanonijke boeken des ouden en Nieuwen Testaments, 3 volumes, Amsterdam: Van Holkena & Warendorf. In 1900, the Illustrated Bible Society of London published a monumental, luxury edition of The Holy Bible featuring extensive art direction and text ornamentation by the famous Arts & Crafts illustrator Walter Crane. Promoted as "The Most Sumptuous Family Bible Ever Published," this massive project reportedly cost the publishers an unprecedented £18,000 to execute. WALTER CRANE worked on the designs for this magnificent Bible between 1897 and 1900. In addition to five illustrations, he completed designs for headings, tailpieces, page decorations and historiated initials. In spite of the vast amount of work it entailed, he considered the result a compromise because the styles of the individual contributors were so diverse and the publishers did not follow his suggestions for a heavier type and unglazed paper. Nevertheless it is a remarkable collaboration between eminent British, French, German, Dutch, American, Russian and Italian artists of the period. He designed the majestic deluxe bindings, decorative endpapers, headpieces, tailpieces, page borders, and historiated initials—including initials for each Book and Gospel printed in gold.The Masterpiece Illustrations: The Bible contains 100 full-page heliogravure plates created by a collective of 27 of the world's most notable international artists of the era. This included prominent Pre-Raphaelite and Royal Academy members such as Edward Burne-Jones, Lawrence Alma-Tadema, J.J. Tissot, Giovanni Segantini, and Elihu Vedder. Crane himself contributed five full-page illustrations.The set was issued as a massive elephant folio format (measuring roughly 54x40 cm), and total weight of the complete work being over 20 kilograms. It was distributed in different markets in either single, two, or three-volume configurations, and beyond the standard English King James Authorized Version, identical luxury sets utilizing Crane's exact cover designs and gold page ornamentation were simultaneously published across continental Europe. Ours is a fabulous deluxe 3 volume set Dutch translation (Bijbel) printed in Amsterdam. Condition: bindings rubed and small scuffs, hinges are weakened and show sign of previous repair, internally the condition is fabulous all 100 art heliogravures with original tissue guards plus extra tissue page in place, fresh pages clean and bright throughout all 3 volumes, a really lovely set.

Published: Van Holkena & Warendorf, Amsterdam 1900