Antiquarenbeurs Mechelen

 
 

Exhibitor

Florisatus Fine Books
Plein 19 C
2511 CS Den Haag
Netherlands

Contact

Edwin & Liesbeth Bloemsaat

Phone

+31 (0) 614 270 027 +31 (0) 614 270 027

Email

finebooks@florisatus.nl

Website

ilab.org/affiliate/florisatus-fine-books-manuscripts-musicalia

in the style of the Rospigliosi bindery
Rospigliosi bindery style Missale Romanum ex decreto sacrosancti concilii Tridentini restitutum. Pii V. iussu editum, Clementis VIII. & Urbani papae VIII. auctoritate recognitum. Additis etiam missis sanctorum ab Innocentio X. et Alexandro VII. pont. max. ordinatis. Romae, ex typographia Reverendae Camerae Apostolicae, 1662. Folio (415 x 277 mm). [XL], 560, xcii, 8 p.

With an engraved title page by François Spierre after Petrus Berettinus, a large printer's mark with the coat of arms of pope Alexander VII., 17 full page engravings, 16 elaborate engraved borders round the text and 10 engravings in the text, engraved by Guillaume Vallet, Étienne Picart, Cornelis Bloemaert, I. Baronius, F. Spierre and Bonacina after designs of Lazzaro Baldi, Ciro Ferri, Nicolaus de Bar, Guillemo Cortese, Pietro da Cortona, Carolus Caesius, Joan Miele, Car. Maratti and R.F. Mola. With typographical musical scores. Many large woodcut initials.

Red morocco, tooled in gold and stained in black. On the covers an all over pattern with differently shaped compartments divided by a black stained architectonical lacework pattern, symmetrical along two axes. In the middle of the sides semicircular fan tooled compartments. The compartments in the corners bordered by an abstract roll and filled with a semé of dots. In the centre an octagonal compartment, surrounded by 4 irregular compartments, bordered by an abstract roll and filled with diagonal crossing dotted lines forming small lozenge shaped spaces each with a small flame. In the centre a space for a coat of arms (erased). Above this a flat hat, with on both sides depending three levels of tassels, flanked by two cherubs. Flat spine divided by black stained bars in 11 compartments, all with a lozenge shaped central ornament and corner tools. Vertically along the compartments an abstract flower roll. Endbands of gold thread and white silk. Edges gilt. With 3 (of 5) keys.
A monumental publication in every sense, the sheer size, the printing quality, the beautiful engravings by a group of very good artists and a very elaborate binding.

The binding matches in style and time exactly with the by Hobson so called Rospigliosi bindery. The main dynasty of binders related of this group is the Andreoli family. They manage or are part of the large Vatican bindery and responsible for many very high quality bindings. Many of the tools used on this binding are almost identical to those depicted in the study of José Ruysschaert in Legatura Romana Barocca 1565-1700. As is said in the same catalogue by Tolomei, the Papal bindery is supposed to be quite large and used many similar tools. So it is quite possible that with more research this binding turns out to be of the Andreoli workshop, or it comes from another binder of the Papal bindery, who has not yet been identified, but is certainly of equal quality.

Most of the engravings are made by the Parisian engravers Guillaume Vallet (1632-1704) and Étienne Picart "le Romain" (1632-1721) stayed from 1655 till 1661 in Rome. They both entered the Académie Royale in Paris in 1664. Picart later went to Amsterdam and is the father of the Dutch engraver Bernard Picart.

-Literature: Legatura Romana Barocca 1565-1700, Roma 1991, articles of P. Quilici, J. Ruysschaert and G.V. Tolomei.

-Condition: Coat of arms in wax paint on both covers cleared away; several smaller old restaurations to the binding, especially on the corners, and the spine heads; enband at the tail lacking; flyleaves cut out; larger worm holes in lower margin p. 285-298; margins underlayed of p. 289, 291 and 447; small piece of margin lacking of p. 335 and 339; keys later renewed and strengthened with paper; in general a very well preserved, clean white copy, in a superb Roman binding.
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