Description
Rare edition of this beautifully printed Roman Breviary, in a stunning contemporary French ‘alla greca’ binding of the finest quality, in a similar style to bindings made by Claude de Piques or Gommar Estienne, finely worked to an allover gilt strap-work design. The binding is particularly fine, beautifully worked with a very elegant and deceptively simple design. It is very similar in style to a binding in the British Library, attributed to Claude de Piques, BL Shelfmark c19b7. It seems incongruous to find such a non classical or Greek work bound in the ‘alla greca’ style, but it is by no means unique. The BL has two such examples from the same period; an edition of Alberti’s L’Architecture et art de bien bastir, (Davis 396) bound in a very ornate but similar strap-work design, either by Etienne Gommar or possibly Claude de Piques, and an edition of St. Augustines Confessions (Davis 425). Both these non-classical works were bound at the same period in the same ‘alla greca’ style. The motto on the covers, roughly translates as “let us not tire of doing good” is taken from Paul’s letters to the Galatians 6:9.
This beautifully printed breviary is an early edition of Cardinal Quignon’s short lived revised version. There had been, in the earlier part of the sixteenth century, attempts to reform the services of the Church. These reforms had the sanction of the Papacy, and Clement VII entrusted the task to the celebrated Cardinal Quignon. His first revision of the Breviary was issued between February, 1535, and July, 1536, and in these eighteen months went through some ten editions. A second recension was published in July, 1536, and became immensely popular. Its use was prohibited by Paul IV in 1558, afterwards permitted again by Pius IV. Pius V however renewed the prohibition, and the use of Quignon’s Breviary died out in the Roman Church.
A stunning copy of this rare breviary in a most beautiful binding.
