AA.VV. - Psalterium Romanum - 1737

MONUMENTAL BINDING FOR CATHOLIC BREVIARY, WITH BRASS NAILING
Monumental binding of exceptional scenic impact, in antique neo-Renaissance taste, made in full dark leather on wooden boards, large in size (574X423 mm), with impressive angular brass hardware. The covers are entirely reinforced by wide geometric turn-ins nailed with large hemispherical studs riveted by hand, in a typology typical of liturgical, choir, or statutory volumes intended for conventual or public use.
The large metal studs served not only a decorative function but also a practical one: they protected the volume when placed on lecterns or the tables of convent libraries, preventing direct contact between the leather and the surfaces. The metallic corners, oxidized with splendid green-copper hues, emphasize the architectural and monumental aspect of the binding.
This imposing Venetian Psalterium Romanum from 1737 is not merely a liturgical book, but a ceremonial object conceived for the visual presence of the altar and the ecclesiastical choir.
Wear, ancient restorations, and handwritten additions testify to a long life of real use, marked by singing, consultation, and daily ritual. In this category of 18th-century liturgical books, the very material of the volume — leather, metal, paper, and ink — becomes an integral part of the religious experience.
MARKET VALUE
The large 18th-century Venetian liturgical breviaries with decorated bindings and original metal fittings are increasingly sought after on the antique market, especially when they preserve the contemporaneous complete binding and monumental dimensions. Similar specimens, even with restorations but with authentic decorative apparatus and good structural integrity, generally fetch values between 900 and 2,000 euros, with higher figures for particularly spectacular specimens or those from documented religious institutions.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Monumental binding of extraordinary visual impact, in antique neo-Renaissance taste, made in full dark leather on wooden boards, large in size (574X423 mm), with impressive angular brass hardware. The boards are entirely reinforced by wide geometric turn-ins nailed with large hemispherical studs riveted by hand, following a typology typical of liturgical, choir, or statutory volumes intended for conventual or public use.
Sprinkled cuts and marbled flyleaves. Signs of use, scratches, superficial losses and faults to the metal fittings. Frontispiece printed in red and black with typographic woodcut mark. Text entirely printed in red and black. Some marginal losses to the initial sheets, stains, small holes, physiological browning, tears and restorations, particularly from quire S, with ancient handwritten additions. In old books with a multi-century history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); 450; (8).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Psalterium Romanum dispositum per hebdomadam.
Venetiis, Ex Typographia Balleoniana, 1737.
AA.VV.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The Psalterium Romanum represents one of the fundamental texts of pre-conciliar Catholic liturgy, intended for recitation and singing of the Psalms according to the weekly distribution of the Divine Office. In the Baroque era these volumes often assumed monumental forms, designed for collective consultation in convent choirs and large churches. The use of red and black print served not only an aesthetic function but helped distinguish rubrics, ritual indications, and sung parts, facilitating liturgical use.
Particularly notable in this exemplar is the binding: dry decorations and metal studs refer to a tradition of ecclesiastical books conceived almost as autonomous sacred objects. The studs also served a practical function, protecting the boards during placement on large choir lecterns. The overall effect is of an austere yet theatrical volume, typically Venetian, where material magnificence becomes an expression of ritual solemnity.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The Baglioni workshop was one of the active Venetian printing houses in the 18th century, specialized also in liturgical production for churches, convents, and religious institutions of the Serenissima and neighboring territories. The large choir books and breviaries printed in Venice continued to enjoy wide diffusion into the 18th century, inheriting a typographic tradition dating back to the great 15th-century Venetian liturgical incunabula.
Complete copies with their original monumental bindings are today relatively rare on the market, as many volumes were dismembered, rebound, or heavily restored in the 19th century.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU / OPAC SBN, surveys of 18th-century Venetian Baglioni liturgical editions.
WorldCat catalogs.
EDIT16 and repertoires of Venetian printing houses.
Sartori, Bibliography of Italian liturgical editions.
De Marinis, The artistic binding in Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Studies on Venetian liturgical printing and choir books.
Catalogs of antique dealers specializing in liturgical books and conventual bindings of the 18th century.