AA. VV. - Semaine Sainte - 1734

THE GOLDEN BOOK OF THE SUN KING: AN ARALDIC BINDING OF THE BORBONIC COURT
Contemporary binding in full red morocco, extraordinarily decorated in gold: covers entirely covered by a complex geometrico-floral composition in interlinked compartments, with repeated rocaille ferrules and “à la fanfare” late Baroque flair.
Heraldic identification: party per pale shield; in the first field the arms of France with three Bourbon lilies; in the second field a radiant emblem with an eagle and knightly insignia attributable to imperial and aristocratic dignities. All topped by a royal crown.
The presence of the arms of France united with a second noble field and crowned, places the binding within the realm of major commissions close to the court of Louis XV and to the circuits of the Franco-Bourbon high aristocracy.
MARKET VALUE
Examples of gold-tooled bindings from the XVIIIth-century Office de la Semaine Sainte generally range between €1,200 and €1,500; the presence of a contemporaneous binding of extraordinary decorative richness and in well-preserved condition radically changes market positioning. For similar items with dense gilded decorations, central coats of arms, and a richly ornamented back, value can realistically rise to a range between €2,000 and €3,000, with further increases if the araldic identification is definitively attributed to a specific family or historical figure of the French court.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION - COLLECTOR'S COPY
Contemporary binding in full red morocco, extremely decorated in gold: covers entirely covered by a complex geometrico-floral composition in interlinked compartments, with rocaille ferrules and “à la fanfare” late Baroque flair.
Heraldic identification: party per shield; in the first field the arms of France with three Bourbon lilies; in the second field a radiant emblem with an eagle and knightly insignia attributable to imperial and aristocratic dignities. All topped by a royal crown.
The presence of the arms of France united with a second noble and crowned field places the binding among the great commissions near the court of Louis XV and the circles of the Franco-Bourbon high aristocracy.
Back with raised bands featuring compartments entirely decorated with gilded ferrules of radial and floral taste, title impressed in gold; borders and fillets richly decorated; gold impression still very vivid. Protected endpapers and guards in multicolored French marbled-paper of the XVIIIth century. Presence of a refined eighteenth-century engraver’s ex libris belonging to André Éveillé, with motto “Ex Libris nec profanorum,” within an elegant Rocaille frame with putti and an open book bearing a moral French quotation. The quality of the engraving and the deliberately initiatic tone of the motto confirm the provenance from an aristocratic or scholarly French library of the late Enlightenment period.
Minimal signs of use at margins and hinges, physiological for the era, but overall in very good preservation with strong visual impact. Numerous illustrations depicting the different moments of the Passion. In antique books, with a multi-century history, there may be some imperfections, not always noted in the description. Pages [6]; 659; [6].
FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Office de la Semaine Sainte, Latin et François, à l’usage de Rome et de Paris; avec l’explication des cérémonies de l’Église, et quelques prières tirées de l’Écriture, pour la confession & pour la communion, & sur les mystères que l’on célèbre durant ce saint temps. Nouvelle édition.
À Paris, chez Grégoire Dupuis, rue Saint-Jacques, à la Couronne d’or, 1734. With privilege of the King.
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
In the eighteenth century, the Holy Week Offices represented one of the main instruments for interiorizing Catholic ritual, especially after the post-Tridentine reforms aimed at greater conscious participation by the faithful. This bilingual edition reflects the desire to make sacred texts and liturgical practices accessible also to an educated lay audience. However, what deeply distinguishes this exemplar is its material dimension: the ostentatious binding is not mere ornament, but an integral part of the political and spiritual message. The book becomes a visual symbol of monarchic sacredness, where crown, coat of arms and gold decoration construct a language of power and prestige. The specimen fully belongs to the royal-library culture of representative France of the late Ancien Régime in the eighteenth century.
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
A collective liturgical work derived from established ecclesiastical traditions. The publisher Grégoire Dupuis operated in Paris in the first half of the eighteenth century, in the famous rue Saint-Jacques, center of French religious publishing, contributing to the widespread diffusion of devotional and liturgical texts.
PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Editions of the Office de la Semaine Sainte were reprinted many times between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with minimal adaptations but continuing formal updates. The designation “Nouvelle édition” indicates a revised reprint. Bindings of luxury, like the present one, were destined for aristocratic commissions and high-representation environments, and are today decidedly less common than standard editions intended for ordinary use.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU/OPAC SBN: search by uniform title “Office de la Semaine Sainte” and publisher Dupuis, Paris eighteenth century
BnF Catalogue général: Office de la Semaine Sainte, éditions parisiennes, années 1730 (département des imprimés, cote à vérifier)
WorldCat: Office de la Semaine Sainte, Paris, 1734, holdings in multiple libraries across Europe
Brunet, Manuel du libraire, t. IV, p. 185 (Offices liturgiques)
Dictionnaire de liturgie catholique, entries “Semaine Sainte,” “Offices”
Catalogue des livres liturgiques français des XVIIe–XVIIIe siècles, sections dedicated to bilingual Latin-French Offices