1897 Manuale di Filotea | Hand-Painted Rose Gauffered Edges

Manuale di Filotea, by Giuseppe Riva. Printed by the Istituto Italiano d'Arti Grafiche (Italian Institute of Graphic Arts), in Bergamo, Italy. Printed 1897. 

It was one of the most widely read Catholic prayer and meditation guides in 19th- and early 20th-century Italy. It's bound in black leather, and the cover features an embossed, blind-stamped depiction of Our Lady of the Rosary (Madonna del Rosario), gold flourish designs, and text that reads Riva la Filotea. This stylized signature design was a hallmark of the premium editions produced by the Istituto Italiano d'Arti Grafiche in Bergamo during this era. 

A highly decorative edition, all page edges have intricate gold-gilt gauffering that depicts a pair of roses. It was then hand-painted in shades of brown and pink to highlight the design. 

The book has a double gold-tone metal clasp closure with floral designs, metallic endpapers containing green vines and florals, multiple colored chromolithographs, and pressed dried flowers. The woodcut illustration on the cover page features the façade of the Duomo di Milano, honoring the author's home diocese.

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