I purchased this from a wonderful dealer who knew I would appreciate it, and she had to point out to me that the tiny tiny inked text filling the cut paper "Bible" was all hand-done; I have an eye for this sort of thing, but in this case it took me pulling out a magnifier to believe it....indeed, a real pen-work feat! What's great here though is that the exacting calligraphy matches the exacting (obsessive, really) nature of the text itself, documenting the number of letters, words, and verses in the Bible, the frequency of use of particular words (and, Lord, etc) and other fun facts of a related nature. Perhaps a great testament to its maker devotion, or perhaps an expression of utter boredom at having to read the same book again and again! Dated 1835 on reverse.
5 1/8" x 3 1/2". Good condition. "Bible and surrounding wreath cut from lightweight card and mounted to the same (mounted to two layers of cards glued together. Black ink text. General toning/stains, all of a piece with it. A few small spots of smudged ink, minor and discernible really only with magnification.
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