Belgian Art Nouveau style bookbinding

In Belgium, Art Nouveau can be recognized by its fluid and flowing lines, as well as its stylisation, always more marked, and its floral decorations that go from figurative to linear. The world of Belgian bookbinding was most marked by the strong personality of the designer-architect Henry van de Velde (1863-1957) who, between 1893 and 1900, created some twenty bookbindings, including this document holder, which belonged to Léopold II in his role of sovereign of the Independent State of the Congo. Further information about the Michel Wittock Fund Website Bibliotheca Wittockiana