This luxurious hand-painted vellum-bound copy of Dante Alighieri’s The Paradiso, bound in 1901, is rare, of unparalleled quality, and thus highly sought-after by book collectors.  
 
The large decorative initial “P”, with vibrantly colored floral scroll and gilt studs, is of the same art style adorning the Books of Hours and other medieval works. 
 
The binding decorations are the work of the famous Giannini’s Florence bottega d'arte (art workshop) in 1856; it was likely painted by Giulio Giannini (1853-1931) or his son Guido (1877-1956).  
 
This is an Italian-English text, edited by Sir Israel Gollancz (1863-1930), a scholar of English Literature and Shakespeare.  This book is a wonder to behold, a pleasure to read, and a glorious reminder of the days when books were works of art all their own.