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All auctions / Carpets, Rugs & Textile / HOURS printed by order of His Excellency the Archbishop of P - Lot 70
HOURS printed by order of His Excellency the Archbishop of Paris, for use in his diocese. Paris, published at the expense of the booksellers associated with the Diocesan Publications, 1736. In-8 (203 x 128 mm), contemporary binding in white morocco leather embellished with gold dots and mosaic motifs of red and green morocco leather, on the covers, a triple rocaille-style border composed of cut-out bands of red and green morocco leather decorated with small iron-stamped fleur-de-lis and a royal crown in the corners, the areas left unadorned by this cutout filled, beneath mica, with silver, gold, and red metallic paper motifs, including fleurs-de-lis, on a pink straw-patterned background; a large, ornate central oval on the upper cover bearing the coat of arms of Louis XV supported by four angels, on the lower cover, the monarch’s crowned cipher, also supported by angels; the entire design is delicately rendered in miniature on a gold and silver background and protected by sheets of mica; the smooth spine is divided into six panels delineated by fillets embellished with gold motifs, the second bearing the title “HEURES” on a piece of green morocco leather decorated with small ironwork, the other five adorned with small paillon motifs covered with mica on a mosaic background and decorated with red, dark green, and olive green morocco leather, interior lace, pink tabis endpapers, gilt edges, modern green shagreen slipcase lined with pink tabis (minor imperfections) and framed by a gilded garland. An exceptional mosaic binding, known as a “clinquant” binding, commissioned for King Louis XV; it features the coat of arms surrounded by cherubs at the center of the front cover, and the crowned cipher, also supported by angels, at the center of the back cover, all very delicately painted in gouache. Various royal emblems appear in the binding’s decoration. This magnificent volume was one of the two masterpieces of the famous Henri Lavedan¹ collection; at its auction in 1929, it was sold for the then-considerable sum of 64,000 francs. Although the Lavedan catalog attributes the binding to Le Monnier, it most likely originated in the Derome workshop, to which Michon—who was unaware of this particular piece—attributes all bindings of this type. Executed on a book of hours rather than an almanac, as is generally the case, it anticipates the trend toward bindings with glittering decorations of straw and mica that would develop beginning in 1755. On the title page is the coat of arms of the Archbishop of Paris, Charles-Gaspard-Guillaume de Vintimille du Luc, a prelate renowned for his fine library of “richly bound” volumes (OHR, 1429, plate 6). This precious volume is preserved in superb condition. Minor signs of wear on the edges and at the spines. An old handwritten signature and ex-libris in ink on the title page. 1- Precious Books, Boxes, and Portfolios from the 16th to the 18th Century from the Collection of Mr. Henri Lavedan. Paris, Giraud-Badin, 1929, no. 60: “A very precious book that belonged to Louis XV, in a superb mosaic binding, most likely by Monnier”; [...] And, crowning it all, the two most magnificent pieces in this unique collection: the first, a Book of Hours in a dazzling, sumptuous binding created by Monnier for Louis XV. And the second, a Holy Week book that belonged to Queen Marie Leczinska, adorned with one of the most beautiful mosaics—featuring her coat of arms—that one could possibly imagine” (Preface to the catalog); Michon (L.-M.). 18th-Century Mosaic Bookbindings, p. 41. Acquired by Émile Rossignol in 1982.
Estimate:£12,783.52
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Estimate:
£12,783.52
OCT 8 | 3:00 PM
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