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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Ex Libris, post: 10383366, member: 14916&quot;]I’d like to share some details about a recent acquisition in my collection: a richly bound <i>Psalterium Romanum</i> printed in 1713 by the Officina Plantiniana in Antwerp. The book itself is massive! 50x30x15 cm and weighs 10kg (22 lbs).</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]522451[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>The text itself is a beautiful example of early 18th-century liturgical printing, complete with red-and-black typography and Gregorian chant notation on four-line staves.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]522450[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]522455[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>What really stands out, however, is the <b>luxurious binding</b>:</p><p><br /></p><ul> <li>The covers are clad in deep purple (or burgundy) velvet<br /> <br /> </li> <li>It features <b>two large brass clasps</b><br /> <br /> </li> <li>The boards are thick and heavy – likely wooden, as was customary in folio liturgical books<br /> <br /> </li> <li>The edges of the text block are gold<br /> </li> </ul><p>[ATTACH=full]522452[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]522462[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>There is an <b>ex-dono (gifted by) inscription</b> dated 28 December 1815, by Henricus Peeters, a former Augustinian from Leuven, who donated the book to the St. Jacob Church in that city. This matches the period when monastic books were redistributed or preserved in parish collections after the French suppression of religious orders.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]522453[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Based on the materials and overall aesthetic, I suspect the binding was not original to the 1713 printing but was added around the <b>early 19th century</b>, possibly <b>1800–1820</b>. The style of the <b>brass clasps</b> especially reminds me of <b>Biedermeier design</b> – simple yet elegant, with clean, curved lines and symmetrical motifs.</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;d be very interested in hearing your thoughts:</p><p><br /></p><ul> <li><b>Do you agree with an early 19th-century dating for this binding?</b><br /> <br /> </li> <li>Have you seen similar <b>velvet-bound liturgical books with brass clasps</b> from this period?<br /> <br /> </li> <li>Could this binding be slightly earlier or later?<br /> </li> </ul><p>There is so much more to tell about this book!</p><p><br /></p><p>Capitals</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]522460[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Ornaments</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]522461[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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