Paroissien de la Renaissance, by Léon Gruel (master binder) and Godefroy Engelmann (master lithographer), Paris, France. Published in 1859.
Gruel & Englemann was a 19th-century partnership that combined the master bookbinding heritage of Gruel with the pioneering lithographic expertise of the Engelmann family.
Operating from the historic Saint-Germain-des-Prés quarter, the firm specialized in museum-grade religious missals and art books featuring intricate Renaissance revival aesthetics. Their collaborations won numerous awards at World’s Fairs, cementing their reputation as the pinnacle of luxury French graphic and bookbinding arts.
This rare treasure comprises a full red morocco leather cover with intricate border tooling on the cover and spine. The spine features five raised bands and heavy gold tooling with floral motifs, all page edges are gold-gilt and gauffered with the phrase 'GLORIA IN AXAALSIS DAO' repeated twice and separated by a Maltese cross.
The phrase is an intentionally altered variant of the famous Latin hymn "Gloria in excelsis Deo", which translates to "Glory to God in the highest." This text originates from the biblical "Angelic Hymn" sung by the angels at the birth of Christ.
Rather than a simple mistake, the spelling variant AXAALSIS DAO reflects a stylized choice. Late 19th-century French master binders frequently utilized archaic, phonetic, or pseudo-Gothic variations of liturgical Latin text when creating historic revival bindings. This was done to give a modern, newly printed 1887 book a sense of medieval or Renaissance antiquity.
The book features a hidden marble fore-edge design on all pages, vibrant red watered moiré silk endpapers with the date 19 Avril 1887 on the first flyleaf, leather turn-ins decorated with detailed gold-gilt dentelle floral work, full-color chromolithographs throughout, and text bordered with black intricate illustrations.
Engelmann's official printer’s mark sits on one of the front flyleaf.
The interior text is framed by highly complex architectural borders inspired directly by 15th and 16th-century French Book of Hours. These are historiated borders, meaning they contain detailed vignettes, figures, and biblical scenes hidden within the foliage.
The scenes change chronologically through the liturgy, telling visual stories from the Old and New Testaments to complement the prayers. The artistic style leans on classic Northern Renaissance and Gothic revival themes. As you read, you will spot:
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Acanthus Leaves and Vines: Sweeping, stylized foliage that wraps around the columns of the text block.
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Grotesques and Cherubs: Playful Renaissance cherubs (putti), mythical beasts, and stylized birds woven into the margins.
- Geometric Strapwork: Interlacing, ribbon-like patterns forming sharp, symmetrical frames that give the illusion of carved stone or wood panels.
French Language, 631 pages.
111 mm W x 160 mm H
Condition: Some faint marks to cover, moderate rubbing to corners and cover edges, front board hinge partially cracked at the top (approx 5 cm), minor marks to endpapers. The clasp closure pieces are no longer present. The interior is very clean. Good condition.
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