The covers of Codex Lippomano, the earliest known plaquette binding, are elaborately decorated with a raised plaquette impression at the center and Islamic-style filigree cutouts. These cutouts reveal contrasting backing colors, adding depth to the design. However, because the original binding had suffered significant losses in the filigree, it is difficult to fully visualize how the covers would have appeared when newly made. I was also curious about how this intricate design was originally executed, as there are no historical references describing the process. This led me to experiment with recreating the decoration.

I began by drawing the filigree pattern on an iPad, then printed and attached it to the back of a thin leather piece to guide the cutout work. Using a scalpel, I carefully cut out the filigree design. The next challenge was replicating the plaquette. I purchased a cameo of similar size, created a silicone mold, and cast the relief using Flügger filler. To shape the leather around the relief, I clamped it between the mold and the hardened filler. After binding the book in the same format and structure as the original, I decorated the covers with blue-painted paper, green silk, leather filigree, a molded plaquette relief, blind tooling, gold brushing, and red beads.