1755 L'Office de la Semaine-Sainte, a L'Usage de la Maison du Roy. Latin/French bilingual edition. Paris.

An attractive bi-lingual L'Office de la Semaine-Sainte, A L'Usage de la Maison du Roy, with traceable provenance. Parallel texts, in Latin and French. This Office conforms to the Rome and Paris breviaries and missals (per the title page, "conformement aux Breviaires et Messels Romain et Parisian").

With a vignette of the king's arms as the printer's mark, because the printer was the printer to the king (also stated on the title page).

Provenance -

Inscription at the blank unpaginated paper tells us the books was gifted to a Hottegindre, lawyer, former officer of parliament and servant of the King, who lives on rue St. Honore, at l'Echelle. Page 48, of the 1787 Almanach Royal tells us that Hottegindre, at Rue St. Honore, was in the group labelled as "Conseillers du Roi (Counsellors of the King), Agens de Change, Banque, Commerce & Finance".

About the Offices -

This liturgical guide-book gives instructions for holy days through the year. Instructions are given for morning prayers, benedictions, the processional, afternoon, evening and night-time prayers. This is a standard format of prayer and public worship, adapted for various uses, but emanating from the teachings of St. Benedict in the 6th century.

In 17th and 18th century France, this work, and the Almanach Royal, were almost a requirement in any library of substance. They are often found in handsome bindings, and the higher quality printings were those prepared for the king (like this example).

Physical Attributes -

Measures approx. 17 x 10 x 4 cm. Red Morocco binding. Spine with five raised bands; five compartments with a central floret and leaves in the corners, one compartment with the title in gilt. Boards with a double outside border with a gilt fillet and a leafy roll, encircled within by drawer handles inhabited by a flowering leaf tool, and between each handle is another flowering plant. Edges ruled in gilt. Turn-ins rolled with a triangular tool. Marbled endpapers. Decorative head and tail-pieces. All edges gilt. Silk ribbon still attached at top endband, which is rare and I'm sure it's very fragile.

Pages - 723, (3 - Privilege)

Condition -

See pictures. Corners and edges worn, pasteboard exposed at corners. A rub mark near the bottom of the front board. Slight crazing to spine. Just barely splayed due to thickness of text block. A little dust at top edge. Bookseller note "EAD/05" at top of flyleaf verso. 1st blank unpaginated page with contemporary gift inscription. Some toning, more near edges, throughout. Occasional fox spot, dog-eared page, thumb, etc.. Last ten leaves with a little more spotting.