1861 Livre d'heures |Maltese Cross Red Gauffered Edges w/a Double Clasp

Livre d'heures, printed by Fleury, Rouen, France. Published 1861. French and Latin languages. 

A brown leather binding, double brass metal clasp closures featuring linework and decorative flourishes, five raised bands on the spine, all page edges are painted red and gauffered with a golden Maltese cross, marbled endpapers, engravings throughout. 

To create the iconic finish on the page edges, the bookbinder clamped the book block in a vise, scraped the raw edges smooth, then painted them with a rich, crimson-red liquid dye.

Once dry, gold leaf was laid over the red paint. A master craftsman heated hand-held brass stamps and branded the gold into the paper. Because the stamp compresses the paper fibers, the gold sits in the recessed grooves, while the original red paint peeks through the flat, un-stamped areas.

Fleury held the official title of bookseller to the Archbishop and the local Faculty of Theology. Carrying this title meant that Fleury was the designated commercial retailer in the city, authorized to print, bind, and distribute the official liturgical texts approved for use throughout the regional Diocese of Rouen.

Anyone else trying to sell these specific prayer books without that Archbishopric seal could be legally prosecuted for printing piracy.

147 mm W x 100 mm H. 198 pages. 

Condition: Front and back hinges are partially cracked, though not a structural issue when the clasps are closed; marks to covers and spine; some rubbing to corners and board edges; some fading to painted page edges; some wear to endpapers and page corners; foxing throughout.

This would be a perfect addition to a bookshelf as decoration but would not be recommended as a reading copy. Fair to good condition.