{"product_id":"french-book-of-hours-dated-1619-the-council-of-trent-era-morocco-binding","title":"French Book of Hours Dated 1619, The Council of Trent Era, Morocco Binding","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA beautiful and authentic French Book of Hours,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e printed in Paris in 1619, containing the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOffice of the Blessed Virgin Mary\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e for use throughout the liturgical year. Produced in the decades following the Council of Trent, this devotional work reflects the renewed emphasis on standardized Catholic worship during the Counter-Reformation.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMeasuring 16.5 x 9 cm, this elegant pocket-sized volume is bound in its original contemporary gilt brown morocco binding, retaining its finely executed pointillé decoration and original brass clasp hardware. Printed throughout in red and black, the volume is illustrated with a complete suite of finely engraved copperplate plates, including a richly illustrated calendar of saints, portraits of the Apostles, devotional scenes, and the Coronation of the Virgin.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe engraved title page has been supplied in facsimile, almost certainly replacing a missing original, a common occurrence in devotional books that saw centuries of daily use. The remainder of the text and engraved illustrations appear original and complete.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFeatures\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eParis, 1619\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSmall octavo (16.5 × 9 cm)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eContemporary gilt brown morocco binding\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eElaborate pointillé gilt decoration\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOriginal brass clasp hardware retained\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePrinted in red and black throughout\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eComplete engraved calendar\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eComplete suite of copperplate engravings\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eContemporary devotional text following the reforms of the Council of Trent\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEngraved title page supplied in facsimile\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHistoric repairs to several leaves\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOriginal text block and binding preserved\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbout the Book\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBooks of Hours were among the most cherished books of the late medieval and early modern periods. Intended for private devotion rather than public worship, they accompanied their owners through daily prayer and often became treasured family heirlooms.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis edition contains the Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, together with prayers, calendars of saints, Gospel readings, and other liturgical texts used throughout the church year.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBy the beginning of the seventeenth century, printed Books of Hours had largely replaced manuscript examples while preserving the same beauty and devotional purpose. Wealthier purchasers often commissioned deluxe bindings, making volumes such as this both religious objects and examples of fine craftsmanship.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Council of Trent and the Catholic Reformation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis volume belongs to one of the most important periods in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Council of Trent was convened in response to the Protestant Reformation and became the defining council of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Meeting over nearly twenty years, the council reaffirmed Catholic doctrine while introducing sweeping reforms intended to strengthen the Church and standardize religious practice.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAmong its most significant achievements were:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eStandardization of the Roman liturgy\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eReform of the Missal and Breviary\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eImproved education and discipline of the clergy\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUniform devotional texts throughout the Catholic world\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRenewed emphasis on personal prayer and sacramental life\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBooks of Hours printed after Trent were carefully revised to conform to these reforms. The title page of this edition proudly announces that it has been revised \"according to the reform of the Council of Trent,\" placing it squarely within the movement that reshaped Catholic devotional life across Europe.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrance in 1619\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis book was printed during the reign of Louis XIII, only a generation after France emerged from the devastating Wars of Religion that had divided Catholics and Protestants throughout the sixteenth century.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFollowing the assassination of Henry IV in 1610, France entered a period of renewed political consolidation under the young Louis XIII. The Catholic Church, supported by both the monarchy and influential religious orders such as the Jesuits, encouraged renewed religious education, personal devotion, and the production of standardized devotional literature.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eParis became one of Europe's foremost centres of fine printing. The city's presses produced beautifully illustrated prayer books intended for educated laypeople, members of the clergy, and the growing Catholic middle class. This volume is representative of that flourishing period of French printing, when devotional books combined elegant typography, copperplate engraving, and luxurious bindings.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Binding\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOne of the most remarkable aspects of this volume is its contemporary French gilt morocco binding, which survives largely intact after more than four centuries.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBound in richly gilt brown morocco leather, the covers are decorated in the refined pointillé style that became fashionable in Paris during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The decoration consists of numerous individually applied finishing tools creating intricate floral sprays, scrolling vines, delicate borders, and a large central oval cartouche intended for the addition of a coat of arms or owner's initials.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe spine is similarly decorated with gilt tooling, while the original brass clasp hardware remains attached, a feature frequently missing from surviving examples.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlthough not attributable to one of the celebrated royal binders such as Clovis or Nicolas Ève, the binding belongs to the same artistic tradition that defined luxury Parisian bookbinding during the early reign of Louis XIII.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Engravings\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe volume contains a complete suite of finely executed copperplate engravings, including:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMonthly calendar illustrations depicting the Apostles\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Coronation of the Virgin\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGospel illustrations\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePassion scenes\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDecorative devotional imagery throughout the text\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe impressions remain crisp and well inked, preserving the fine detail characteristic of early seventeenth-century copperplate engraving.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCondition\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOriginal contemporary gilt morocco binding.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eComplete engraved illustrations.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOriginal brass clasp hardware retained.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePrinted throughout in red and black.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHistoric repairs to several leaves.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEngraved title page supplied in facsimile.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLight age toning, occasional spotting, and expected evidence of devotional use.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOriginal text block remains structurally sound.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\" aria-level=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFacsimile title page\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHistorical Significance\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis volume embodies the intersection of religion, art, and craftsmanship during one of Europe's most transformative periods.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePrinted shortly after the implementation of the reforms of the Council of Trent, it illustrates how the Catholic Church sought to unify devotional practice while promoting beautiful, accessible prayer books for private use. At the same time, it represents the exceptional quality of Parisian printing and bookbinding during the early seventeenth century.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBooks such as this were intended not merely to be read but to accompany their owners throughout life. Their survival in original bindings is increasingly uncommon, particularly when accompanied by complete engraved illustrations.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight - 526g\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHeight - 16.5cm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWidth - 9cm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThickness - 5cm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e","brand":"Momo Rare Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54358314516819,"sku":null,"price":899.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0953\/9187\/5411\/files\/IMG_8242.jpg?v=1784566736","url":"https:\/\/www.momorarebooks.co.uk\/products\/french-book-of-hours-dated-1619-the-council-of-trent-era-morocco-binding","provider":"Momo Rare Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}