• An iron tsuba of 12-lobed form with alternating four solid and four openwork areas, each with a central bar. Symbolism remains unclear, possibly - a gunbai, i.e. military leader's fan. The solid parts decorated with 5 to 6 rows of brass dots of nail heads inlaid in ten-zōgan. The center of the plate as well as the sukashi elements are outlined with brass wire. The kozuka-hitsu-ana seems original. Muromachi period. Dimensions: 77.9 x 77.5 x 3.2 mm.
  • Half-title: STANDARD NOVELS. | № XLIII. | {6 lines of citation} | THE BETROTHED | COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME. | LONDON: RICHARD BENTLEY | (SUCCESSOR TO HENRY COLBURN) : | BELL & BRADFUTE, EDINBURGH; | CUMMING, DUBLIN. | 1834 || Illustrated title page: THE BETROTHED, | FROM THE ITALIAN | OF | ALESSANDRO MANZONI. | {vignette by S. Smith after F. Pickering} | LONDON: | RICHARD BENTLEY | (SUCCESSOR TO HENRY COLBURN.) | CUMMING, DUBLIN, – BELL & BRADFUTE, EDINBURGH, | GALIGNANI, PARIS. |1834. || Title page: THE | BETROTHED. | FROM THE ITALIAN | OF | ALESSANDRO MANZONI. | LONDON: RICHARD BENTLEY, 8 NEW BURLINGTON STREET | (SUCCESSOR TO HENRY COLBURN): | BELL & BRADFUTE, EDINBURGH; | AND CUMMING, DUBLIN. | 1834 || Frontispiece: vignette by S. Smith after F. Pickering. Pagination: [i-v] 6-xii, [1] 2-452 [2 blank] + 2 plates. Collation: [A]6 B-Z8 AA-FF8 GG2  + 2 leaves of plates; Note: A1, A2, A4, GG2 – unsigned; both frontispiece and illustrated title are extraneous to collation. Binding: 2/3 black calf over marbled boards, raised bands w/gilt elements, gilt lettering in compartments and gilt title on a crimson label to spine; contemporary, but not the original publisher's binding; size: 16.5 x 10.5 cm Bookplates: Yellow sticker to front pastedown “J. K. Higgins, Northampton” (unknown); Ex libris to the front flyleaf: “Hilda Moore” (probably Hilda Mary Moore (British, 1886 – 1929) – a British stage and film actress. Series: Bentley's Standard Novels, № 43, first series. Catalogue raisonné: Michael Sadleir (1951): p. 101. Original title: ALESSANDRO MANZONI : I PROMESSI SPOSI Contributors: Manzoni, Alessandro (Italian, 1785 – 1873) Pickering, Ferdinand (British, 1810 – 1889) – artist. Smith, Samuel S. (British, 1810 – 1879) – engraver. A. Spottiswoode (London); Spottiswoode, Andrew (British, 1787 – 1866) – printer. Bentley, Richard (British, 1794 – 1871) – publisher. For the Russian edition see [LIB-1333.2017]: Алессандро Манцони. Обрученные. Повесть из истории Милана XVII века / Перевод И. И. Шитца. (Итальянская литература). — М.-Л.: Academia, 1936.
  • Six-lobed iron tsuba in a form of three ginkgo tree leaves (icho), separated with three small triangular openings (ko-sukashi). Leaves have raised rim and decorated with various family crests (mon) in low relief carving (sukidashi-bori). On obverse: bamboo stems and leaves, knotted geese, paulownia (kiri), plum blossom (ume), and ivy. On reverse: pine needles and cone, maple leaf (kaede), bamboo, stylized plum blossom, and Genji-mon. Black patina. Kozuka hitsu-ana is original, with raised rim. Copper sekigane. Kamakura-bori school. Late Muromachi period (ca. 1550). Size: Height: 81.1 mm. Width: 90.0 mm. Thickness at seppa-dai: 3.3 mm. Weight: 120.4 g.
  • Iron tsuba of oval form pierced with design of slanting rays of light (shakoh), a Christian motif (Jesuit’s IHS symbol), and a pair of tassels in positive silhouette (ji-sukashi). Details on tassels carved in low relief. Traditional description of this kind of design is called “tokei”, or “clock gear”. Rounded rim.

    Unsigned.

    Edo period, 17th or 18th century. Possibly - Owari school.

    Size: 76.0 x 73.0 x 6.2 mm.