Kempis, Thomas [published by Leon Curmer] - L'Imitation de Jesus-Christ (2 vol.) [1856-1858] - NOBLE PROVENANCE

We are offering here a magnificent French Christian 2 volumes set of famous Thomas Kempis's work "L'Imitation de Jesus-Christ", published in 1856-1858 in 50 issues by Leon Curmer. A very beautiful copy of this luxurious publication, rarely found complete with its two volumes.

Volume 1 bound in red Morocco full leather binding and Volume 2 bound in red Dutch half-leather binding. Both bindings SIGNED in gilt by "L. Curmer" at the bottom of the spine. Both volumes with five raised bands and gilt lettering to the spine, all page edges gilt. Very rich decorated front and rear paste-down with gilt frames. Volume 1 with free endpapers ornamented in black & gilt,  Volume 2 with marbled free endpapers.

NOBLE PROVENANCE: Includes the inserted frontispiece illuminated in chromolithography with the name of Don Juan de Liñán - and another chromolithograph plate with the coat of arms of The Liñán lineage (family). The Liñán lineage dates back to the 12th century in the Kingdom of Aragon. Its traditional genealogy traces back to the Crusader knight and nobleman Pier de Linyan (or Pier de Lignan), who arrived in Aragon in 1112 to serve and fight under King Alfonso I "the Battler" during the Reconquista (the ''Reconquista'', Spanish and Portuguese for "reconquest", refers to a long series of wars and campaigns by Christian kingdoms in the north of the Iberian Peninsula to take back land from Muslim rulers (Moors) who controlled al-Andalus; It began in the 8th century and ended in 1492). The Liñán lineage currently hold the noble title of Count of Doña Marina.

"The ’Imitation of Jesus Christ’ that Curmer published in 1856-1858 in 50 issues, very richly decorated, was meant to be a kind of ‘selected pages’ from medieval manuscripts. "It’s by examining most of these wonderful volumes that the thought came to me of bringing them to light to the public by the reproduction of the most beautiful pages of all the periods", wrote the editor." ("The revival of medieval illumination: Nineteenth-century Belgium manuscripts and illuminations from a European perspective" by Coomans Thomas, Leuven: Universitaire Pers Leuven, 2007, p. 116).

This two volumes set is consisted of the main volume "L'Imitation de Jesus-Christ", which is completelly with chromolithography in color & gilt throughout, in the most splendid colours that are a true monument to the art of colour printing; and the "Appendice" volume, which is basically a bibliography illustrated with 4 photographic plates and numerous wood engraved borders. The 4 photographic plates are original lithographic prints (sephia albumen prints) mounted on blank paper, with portraits of famous authors whose works were influenced / used in creating this sought after set: Ioannes Gerson (the first two lithograph photos, from the first two chapters); Thomas a Kempis (the third lithograph photo, from the third chapter); and Michel de Marillac (the fourth lithograph photo, from the fourth chapter).

Each page of the first volume was chromolithographed by Lemercier, in full-page or as very large illustrated frames, in which the text is printed, reproducing polychrome and gold scenes or vegetal patterns from illuminated manuscripts of the Middle-Ages. The second volume "Appendix" is illustrated with many figures in the text and with 4 original photographs pasted on. 

"L'Imitation de Jesus-Christ"; Paris. L. Curmer, [1856-1858]; First edition; 2 volumes; Size of volumes: Quarto (27,2 x 20,5 cm); Volume 1 bound in red Morocco full leather binding and Volume 2 bound in red Dutch half-leather binding. Both volumes with five raised bands and gilt lettering to the spine, all page edges gilt. Both bindings SIGNED in gilt by "L. Curmer" at the bottom of spine. Very rich decorated front and rear paste-down with gilt frames. Volume 1 with free endpapers ornamented in black & gilt,  Volume 2 with marbled free endpapers; Text in French and Latin; Collation complete - Volume 1 (L'Imitation de Jesus-Christ): Free endpaper, (2) blank leaves, Lithograph half title, inserted plate with the coat of arms of The Liñán lineage (family), frontispiece illuminated in chromolithography with the name of Don Juan de Liñán,Lithographed colophon, Chromolithograph frontispiece, Chromolithograph title page, Chromolithograph chapter title, Chromolithograph frontispiece, i-xii chromolithograph pages containing the calendar, Chromolithograph title page, 1-399 chromolithograph pages containing the main body of the text and a fine colophon page stating the work was started in 1855 and finished in 1857, Chromolithograph "Content" title, xiv (chromolithograph content pages), plus 5 additional chromolithograph chapter frontispieces and 4 chromolithograph chapter titles, (2) blank leaves, free endpaper; Volume 2 (Appendix): Half title, Title page, i-viii, 1-143 pages, catalogue 1-52, Indexes (xvi) containing the illustrations to Holbein's Dance of Death and Le Grande Danse Macabre 1-16 pages of text; Binding is tight and firm, overall well preserved, with insignificant rubbing and surface scratches, minor discoloration, extremities little bumped and scuffed. Joints and hinges are whole and strong, binding remains strongly bound and stable. Text block/pages of the Volume 1 astonishingly bright and clear, no foxing, annotations or markings, only occasaionaly and slight age tanning to the white margins. Text block/pages of the Volume 2 are very bright and clean, with a slight age tanning and very occasional and insignificantly small foxing dots. Overall a sought after copy of this scarce 2 volumes set. This is a very heavy item (cca 6 kg), so the shipping will be more expensive than usually.