{"product_id":"velvet-religious-book-french-palmier-celeste-with-clasp","title":"Velvet Religious Book (French) - Palmier Celeste with Clasp","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRed Velvet and Ornately Clasped Religious Book\u003cbr\u003ePalmier Celest - Nouvelle Edition\u003cbr\u003eZech et Fils; Meme Maison Paris-Lyon\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNouvelle édition augmentée du Chemin de la Croix et de l’Office de l’Immaculée Conception\u003cbr\u003eBraine-le-Comte: Zech et Fils, Éditeurs\u003cbr\u003e(Même maison: Paris – Lyon. Gérant: Marius Beaumont)\u003cbr\u003eCirca 1885–1903\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA pocket-sized devotional book bound in rich crimson velvet, elegantly finished with gilded brass mounts and a decorative working clasp. The mounts feature Neo-Gothic quatrefoil and scroll motifs, finely chased and engraved, lending it the aesthetic of ecclesiastical metalwork from the late 19th century.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Crimson velvet over boards\u003cbr\u003eMounts: Gilt brass with pierced floral and scroll designs at each corner and clasp\u003cbr\u003eClasp: Central fleur-de-lys motif in matching gilt brass, fully intact and operational\u003cbr\u003eEdges: Brightly gilt page edges, still radiant\u003cbr\u003eEndpapers: Cream moiré silk\u003cbr\u003eSpine: Gilt title Prières (Prayers)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis volume compiles Catholic daily devotions including the Way of the Cross and the Office of the Immaculate Conception, key to Marian devotion in the post-1854 dogmatic period.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe calendar of movable feasts inside lists years from 1885 through 1903, confirming the printing as turn of the century (circa 1885–1900).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eZech et Fils, based in Braine-le-Comte, Belgium, was a respected late 19th-century religious publisher known for devotional manuals and missals bound in velvet, mother-of-pearl, or tooled leather. Their Paris–Lyon distribution under Marius Beaumont indicates export to the French ecclesiastical market, competing with Mame et Fils and Lefort.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis Palmier Céleste represents the height of the devotional gift-book tradition: small, ornate, and intended for personal use by a member of the clergy or a pious laywoman — perhaps for Lenten or Marian devotion.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"For the Louvre of Antiques LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48983885381887,"sku":null,"price":135.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0725\/8780\/4927\/files\/F5A57790-380F-4AA0-91E3-E97D7F8E017F.png?v=1786308716","url":"https:\/\/forthelouvreofantiques.com\/fr\/products\/velvet-religious-book-french-palmier-celeste-with-clasp","provider":"For the Louvre of Antiques LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}