french armorial binding (1 Ergebnisse)

A beautiful copy of the Easter liturgy for the year 1755, printed and finely bound in Paris for the House of Orléans. The covers bear the arms of Louis-Philippe I (1725-1785), Duke of Orléans, Valois, and Montpensie, premier prince du sang, and grandfather of Louis-Philippe I, the last king of France. Editions of the Easter liturgy were produced every year and printed by d'Houry, the official printer to the duke of Orléans. Copies in fine bindings such as this, bearing the arms of the current duke, were destined for members of the family and court and to faithful subjects. The binding was very likely made by Jean-Charles-Henri LeMonnier le jeune, who is documented as bookbinder to the duke of Orléans from 1759. The LeMonniers were one of the most famous families of bookbinders of the period. Henry le jeune, son of Jean-Charles senior, "lived with his father in the Rue Saint-Jean-de-Beauvais, probably sharing his atelier and his tools, and it is difficult to distinguish their work. The bindings for the duke of Orléans and his family are most probably the work of le jeune" (Foot, p. 199). Mirjam M. Foot, The Henry Davis Gift I, 1978. Stamp: close to OHR 2572, no. 1; Guigard attributes it to Philippe-Égalité, see p. 39. Octavo (193 x 122 mm). Copper-engraved frontispiece. Contemporary red morocco, spine with raised bands, lettering in second compartment, other compartments framed in gilt with floral corner pieces and armorial centrepieces, covers bordered with gilt fillets and two fleur-de-lis rolls, gilt armorial centrepieces of Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, board edges and turn-ins tooled in gilt, marbled endpapers, edges gilt. Small printed illustration of a fly, hand-coloured, loosely inserted. Binding sometime skilfully polished, a little wear to corners, front inner hinge split, but firm, faint small damp stain to lower margin of a couple of gatherings. A handsomely bound copy.