‘Greek-style’ Bindings: A Case of Hybridisation in the Biblioteca Malatestiana (Plut. D.XXVII.2)

‘Alla greca’ bindings (as Greek-style bindings made in western Europe are also known) were the result of a process of imitation and reinvention of Byzantine practices; they were made in Italy and elsewhere in western Europe in considerable amounts between the 1450s and the end of the sixteenth century. This paper presents the main trends identified through the first-hand exam of over 400 bookbindings in the style, and subsequently focuses on a specific hybrid Greek-style binding made in Cesena in the second half of the fifteenth century, held at the Malatestiana Library (Plut. D.XXVII.2). Through this case study, it highlights local patterns and atypical trends in the making of Greek-style bindings in early modern Cesena.