Condition report: The leather binding is significantly worn and stained. It contains numerous small holes caused by wood-boring insects. The metal clasps on the right edge are only partially intact.

A sixteenth century leather book cover is shown here. It features decorative designs pressed into the leather over wooden boards. This technique is known as blind tooling. The decoration consists of several rectangular borders nested inside one another. The outermost borders contain swirling floral patterns and small circular portrait medallions in the Renaissance style. The central rectangular panel contains a vertical and symmetrical design of vines and leaves. Stamped initials are visible above this central panel and a stamped date is visible below it. Metal corner guards and the remnants of two metal closures are attached to the right side.

I G D

These initials likely refer to the owner of the book or the master binder who created the cover.

§ 1559 §

This date indicates when the binding was completed, which was three years after the book's publication.