Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn, the Prince-Bishop of Wurzburg in what is now Germany, was a wealthy and accomplished book collector. Rare book dealer Robin Halwas informs us that the book from that collection addressed five theological topics. Gregor Schenk, one of the greatest bookbinders of the German Renaissance, produced this gilt calfskin binding measuring 27 centimeters across sometime between 1585 and 1588.
St. John’s College at the University of Cambridge says that Mespelbrunn was a leading figure of the German Counter Reformation and fervent ally of the Jesuits, so it is appropriate that his book collection would have a theological emphasis.
-via History Defined | Photo: Robin Walhas