(1860) Christian "Book of Hours" with 200 Chromolithographs
We are offering here an exquisite French Christian Catholic devotional book "Selected Book of Hours for Christian Ladies", taken from manuscripts from the 12th to the 17th Century. Bound in a beautiful Morocco leather binding with Gilt Coat-of-Arm Christogram IHS to the both boards and Gilt Ornamental Decorations to the boards and spine. Richly decorated front and rear paste-down with gilt fleurons and bordeaux Moirée silk. Free endpapers accompanied by bordeaux Moirée silk.
With chromolithograph frontispiece & 5 full-page chromolithograph engravings in Color & Gilt. All 208 text pages richly illustrated and illuminated by A. Leroy with a different chromolithographic frame in Color & Gilt for each page and with several chapter headers. Superb illuminations in chromolithographies inspired by medieval "Book of Hours". Letters, decorations and miniatures copied in ancient manuscripts; The text is framed with many different decorations: foliage, flowers, birds, dragons, insects, etc. All pages are printed in chromolithography on strong high quality "Japanese" paper.
"HEURES CHOISIES des DAMES CHRETIENNES; Tire des manuscrits du XIIe au XVIIe siecle provenant du cabinet de Mr. H. Baudot, à Dijon"; Paris, L. Lesort, 1860; Size of the book: 15,8 x 12 cm (6.22" x 4.72"); Brown Morocco leather binding. Gilt Coat of Arm Christogram to both boards. Gilt ornamental decorations to the boards and spine, gilt title to the spine. Spine with five rised bands. All page edges gilt; Text in French; Collation complete - Chromolithograph title page, Engraved chromolithograph title, Chromolithograph frontispiece, 208 chromolithograph pages, with 5 chromolithograph plates; Full leather binding is strong, tight and firm, overall in very good condition. Boards and spine little rubbed and bumped, with a few negligible surface scratches/scuffings. Short incipient surface cracking (1,5 - 2 cm) to the lower joint of the front board and upper joint of the rear board. Pages/Text block in excellent condition, clean and very bright, no any marks or foxing throughout, only with a slight yellowing to the white margins of a few pages. Overall the condition of the book is NEAR FINE.