Late 19th Century French Catholic Missal, Ornate Black Leather Binding with Silverplate Detailing and Clasp, c. 1887–1910
Late 19th Century French Catholic Missal, Ornate Black Leather Binding with Silverplate Detailing and Clasp, c. 1887–1910
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Item: Late 19th Century French Catholic Missal, *Missel Romain*, Ornate Black Leather Binding with Gilt Decoration & Brass Clasp, c. 1887–1910
**Additional Description**
A beautifully preserved French Catholic devotional book, *Missel Romain*, published by Antoine Maître of Dijon, France, and dating to the late 19th or early 20th century.
The volume features an elegant black leather binding, richly embellished with an elaborate gilt floral and foliate design extending across the front cover. The asymmetrical ornament incorporates scrolling acanthus leaves, delicate flowers, and intricate arabesques, creating a particularly decorative example of French ecclesiastical bookbinding.
An ornate pierced brass clasp with scrolling decoration and a central cross motif secures the volume, while the page edges are fully gilded, lending the book an especially luxurious appearance.
The interior is equally impressive, beginning with an elaborate engraved title page featuring an angel holding a banner inscribed *Missel Romain*, above the publisher's name and the Latin motto *Ex Labore Decus*.
Throughout the volume are beautifully detailed black-and-white religious engravings, including depictions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and other devotional subjects. The text is further enhanced by elaborate floral borders, ecclesiastical emblems, decorative initials, and ornamental chapter headings.
Particularly charming are the original decorative endpapers, featuring a densely patterned gilt botanical design against a dark ground, complemented by gilt ornamental borders.
The book includes prayers for Mass, confession, and important Catholic feast days, with portions of the liturgy presented in both French and Latin. An illustrated section titled *La Fête de Tous les Saints* commemorates All Saints' Day, while other pages feature prayers and meditations accompanied by finely executed religious imagery.
An internal table of movable feasts spans the years 1887 through 1910, suggesting publication around the late 1880s or thereafter. This table provides a useful clue to the volume's dating, although the precise publication year has not yet been established.
A lovely example of French devotional publishing and decorative bookbinding, particularly appealing for its ornate gilt leather exterior, elaborate brass closure, richly gilded page edges, and beautifully illustrated interior.
**Age:** Late 19th–Early 20th Century, circa 1887–1910 (precise publication date unconfirmed)
**Origin:** Dijon, France
**Publisher:** Antoine Maître, Éditeur, Dijon
**Materials:** Leather binding, gilt decoration, brass clasp, paper, gilt page edges
**Condition:** Good antique condition overall, with age-appropriate wear to the leather binding, minor rubbing to the gilt decoration, and occasional toning and scattered foxing to the interior pages. The decorative clasp appears intact. The gilt page edges retain an attractive luster. Please review photographs for additional condition details.
**Dimensions:** To be provided.
Item: Late 19th Century French Catholic Missal, *Missel Romain*, Ornate Black Leather Binding with Gilt Decoration & Brass Clasp, c. 1887–1910
**Additional Description**
A beautifully preserved French Catholic devotional book, *Missel Romain*, published by Antoine Maître of Dijon, France, and dating to the late 19th or early 20th century.
The volume features an elegant black leather binding, richly embellished with an elaborate gilt floral and foliate design extending across the front cover. The asymmetrical ornament incorporates scrolling acanthus leaves, delicate flowers, and intricate arabesques, creating a particularly decorative example of French ecclesiastical bookbinding.
An ornate pierced brass clasp with scrolling decoration and a central cross motif secures the volume, while the page edges are fully gilded, lending the book an especially luxurious appearance.
The interior is equally impressive, beginning with an elaborate engraved title page featuring an angel holding a banner inscribed *Missel Romain*, above the publisher's name and the Latin motto *Ex Labore Decus*.
Throughout the volume are beautifully detailed black-and-white religious engravings, including depictions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and other devotional subjects. The text is further enhanced by elaborate floral borders, ecclesiastical emblems, decorative initials, and ornamental chapter headings.
Particularly charming are the original decorative endpapers, featuring a densely patterned gilt botanical design against a dark ground, complemented by gilt ornamental borders.
The book includes prayers for Mass, confession, and important Catholic feast days, with portions of the liturgy presented in both French and Latin. An illustrated section titled *La Fête de Tous les Saints* commemorates All Saints' Day, while other pages feature prayers and meditations accompanied by finely executed religious imagery.
An internal table of movable feasts spans the years 1887 through 1910, suggesting publication around the late 1880s or thereafter. This table provides a useful clue to the volume's dating, although the precise publication year has not yet been established.
A lovely example of French devotional publishing and decorative bookbinding, particularly appealing for its ornate gilt leather exterior, elaborate brass closure, richly gilded page edges, and beautifully illustrated interior.
**Age:** Late 19th–Early 20th Century, circa 1887–1910 (precise publication date unconfirmed)
**Origin:** Dijon, France
**Publisher:** Antoine Maître, Éditeur, Dijon
**Materials:** Leather binding, gilt decoration, brass clasp, paper, gilt page edges
**Condition:** Good antique condition overall, with age-appropriate wear to the leather binding, minor rubbing to the gilt decoration, and occasional toning and scattered foxing to the interior pages. The decorative clasp appears intact. The gilt page edges retain an attractive luster. Please review photographs for additional condition details.
**Dimensions:** To be provided.