MISSAL

£9,750 · Offered by Sokol Books

An exceptional, sumptuously bound and handsomely decorated copy of a Clementine Missal printed in Rome in 1609, containing all instructions, chants, prayers and readings necessary for the celebration of the Mass promulgated by Pope Pius V after the Council of Trent and revised, not very successfully, by Pope Clement VIII. The superb binding, in red velvet with applied silver plates on all sides, is a work of great elegance and expertise in the Roman baroque style. Bindings embellished with precious metals were typically produced for Liturgical texts, and this tradition dates back to the Middle ages. Red velvet became popular during the 16th and 17th centuries, and it was combined with silver due to the attractive contrast between the colours and textures of the materials. In Italy, this type of binding decoration appears more frequently on Missals compared to other liturgical texts, and it is common especially during the 17th and 18th centuries. Similar luxury bindings were usually commissioned by members of the private èlite, churches and senior clergy; often, they were used on presentation copies for princes of the state or church. The lower cover bears the portrait of a pope: this remarkable and quite rare feature images of saints and of the virgin Mary are more standard centrepieces in this type of binding indicates that this work might have been commissioned by or gifted to a Pope, or realised in his memory. A C20 German bookseller note on the front pastedown identifies

• Binding: Hardcover

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