LIBER PSALMORUM, with several canticles and ecclesiastical h

lot/liber psalmorum with several canticles and ecclesiastical h lot 49 DgpR6Tm 633150370 / For sale

lot/liber psalmorum with several canticles and ecclesiastical h lot 49 DgpR6Tm 633150370

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lot/liber psalmorum with several canticles and ecclesiastical h lot 49 DgpR6Tm 633150370

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LIBER PSALMORUM, with several canticles and ecclesiastical h - Lot 49

LIBER PSALMORUM, with several canticles and ecclesiastical hymns. Paris, Jamet Mettayer, 1587. Small 8vo (153 x 85 mm), contemporary brown morocco binding, covers entirely covered with a silver-colored (oxidized) decoration consisting of empty geometric compartments formed by three straight and curved lines within a frame of three lines, a central medallion depicting the Crucifixion; the spine is plain, adorned with geometric compartments containing a fleur-de-lis (in the upper and lower compartments) and the royal coat of arms (in the central compartment); at the top, a skull and two tears; at the bottom, the motto SPES MEA DEUS; traces of clasps. A book-shaped case made of havana morocco leather. A precious volume printed on vellum and bound in a very elegant fanfare-style binding with empty compartments, featuring a medallion depicting the Crucifixion at the center of the covers and the coat of arms and motto of King Henry III on the spine. We now know that these bindings were intended for members of one or another of the religious congregations founded by Henry III; the presence of the coat of arms of France and the royal motto can be explained by the special ties that bound the members of these brotherhoods to their founder. “These are generally high-quality morocco leather bindings featuring an ‘empty fanfare’ decoration—in other words, where only the interlaced ribbon structure of the small-scale ironwork motifs has been traced onto the covers, with the compartments remaining free of any ornamentation except for the central oval, which is most often adorned with a medallion of religious significance; they also bear on the spine, with a similar design, a skull, the small coat of arms of France, and the motto *Spes mea deus*. “[...] Notable within this collection is a particularly elegant series of small-format volumes printed no later than 1587, almost all bound in brown or olive morocco leather with gilded decoration, whose decorative unity suggests that the entire set was produced at the same time: a consistently unique arrangement of empty compartments, with spines bearing similar decoration and, at the center of the covers, a small medallion depicting the Crucifixion with a beaded border ending in a small cross” (F. Le Bars, in Henri III, mécène des arts, des sciences et des lettres. Paris, 2006, pp. 245–246). The exceptional nature of this copy, printed on vellum and featuring silver (rather than gold) decoration, nevertheless suggests—despite the absence of the coat of arms on the lower cover (see Le Bars, op. cit.), that it may be King Henry III’s personal copy. Brunet cites only a single copy of this edition on vellum, in a blue morocco binding, from La Vallière, perhaps the same as the unique copy cited by Van Praet, acquired by the Royal Library in 1824. A beautiful red-and-black print by Alex Mettayer, printer to King Henry III, who produced various liturgical books for the king’s use. A copper engraving in an oval medallion on the title page, repeated at the beginning of the text, depicting King David in prayer. An old handwritten inscription on the front endpaper. The endpapers are missing. Provenance: *Bulletin Morgand*, 1887, no. 13583, with reproduction: “Precious copy belonging to King Henry III. In perfect condition”; Madame Poullier-Ketele (1924, no. 93); Cortland Bishop (1948, no. 176), with bookplate: “Printed on vellum for King Henry III”; R. Esmerian, 1972, no. 103, with bookplate: “Copy belonging to King Henry III” (citing the copy in the Bulletin Morgand; the catalog entry refers to a “similar copy,” but the reproduction in the Bulletin shows unequivocally that this is indeed the same copy). Acquired by Émile Rossignol in 1972 at the Esmerian auction. Brunet, IV, 940; Van Praet (VI, Supplement, 1828, no. 213 bis); G.D. Hobson. Les reliures à la fanfare. London, 1935, p. 57, no. 234 (in the list of 40 bindings with empty compartments); A. Hobson and P. Culot. Bookbinding in Italy and France in the 16th Century. Bibliotheca Wittockiana, 1990, no. 62. The copy was exhibited at the Baltimore Bookbinding Exhibition, 1967, no. 331.

Estimate:£5,113.41

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