AA.VV. - Breviarium Romanum - 1740

ENGRAVINGS AND LUXURIOUS GOLD LEATHER BINDING - WITH CASE
Elegant eighteenth-century edition of the Pars Autumnalis of the Breviarium Romanum, printed in Urbino in 1740 by Hieronymus, or Girolamo, Mainardi. The volume constitutes one of the seasonal sections of the Breviary, the great liturgical book for the daily recitation of the Divine Office according to the rite of the Catholic Church. The Pars Autumnalis gathers the offices proper and common related to the autumn period of the liturgical year, in accordance with the tradition consolidated after the Council of Trent. Especially refined is the editorial presentation: text printed in red and black, engravings, and meticulous typography. The specimen’s merit is further enhanced by the beautiful cognac-colored full-leather binding richly decorated in gold, the gilt edges, and above all by preservation within an elegant pocket case decorated in blind embossing. A remarkable example of an eighteenth-century liturgical book conceived not only as a daily tool of prayer but also as a personal object of representation and devotion.

WHY TO BUY
URBINO 1740! An elegant full eighteenth-century Breviary.
RED AND BLACK + ENGRAVINGS! Refined Italian liturgical production with strong decorative impact.
GOLD BINDING AND GOLD EDGES! An authentic ecclesiastical volume of representation.
WITH ITS CASE! A rare and particularly fascinating detail for a volume intended for personal use.

MARKET VALUE
Eighteenth-century volumes of the Breviarium Romanum have highly variable values depending on the quality of the binding, completeness, illustrative apparatus, and presence of original accessories. In this exemplar, the combination of red-and-black printing, copperplate engravings, a refined camel- or cognac-colored leather binding decorated in gold, gilt edges, and a pocket case confers greater interest than a common liturgical volume. For a copy in good condition, a realistic retail value is in the order of €800-1,800, with potential request higher for particularly fresh conservation and for the integrity of the case.

PHYSICAL / CONDITION
Pp. (4), 10 nn., 346, 252, (4). Text printed in red and black and illustrated with copperplate engravings. Elegant full leather binding in cognac-colored calf, richly decorated in gold on the boards, the edges, and the spine. Gilt edges. Preserved within an elegant pocket case decorated blind, a particularly interesting and uncommon feature in the conservation of personal-use liturgical books. Possible slight abrasions, signs of use, foxing, browning, and small defects compatible with age. As with all old volumes, slight defects or restorations not expressly mentioned may be present.

FULL TITLES & AUTHORS
AA.VV.
Breviarium Romanum.
Pars Autumnalis.
Urbini: apud Hieronymum Mainardi, 1740.
Text in red and black.
Copperplate engravings.
Pp. (4), 10 nn., 346, 252, (4).

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
The Breviarium Romanum is not the work of a single author, but the result of a long evolution of the Latin liturgy and the tradition of the Divine Office. Throughout the Middle Ages, the numerous collections of psalms, hymns, readings, responsories, and prayers used in the different canonical hours were gradually gathered into more compact books intended mainly for the clergy. After the Council of Trent, Pope Pius V promulgated in 1568 a new edition of the Breviary, meant to standardize the recitation of the Office in the Latin Church to a large extent. In the following centuries the text was updated and adapted through new feasts and calendar changes, yet preserving the fundamental structure fixed by the Roman tradition. Seventeenth- and eighteenth-century breviaries thus constitute a direct testimony to the daily life of the clergy and the religious practice of the modern era: books consulted several times a day and often commissioned or purchased with bindings of particular value for the personal use of ecclesiastics of rank.

RARITY
Seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Breviari Romans are not in themselves exceptionally rare books, but high-quality copies stand out clearly for the richness of their physical covering. In this case, the collecting interest stems from the combination of red-and-black printing, copperplate engravings, elegant full-leather binding decorated in gold, and gilt edges. Even more significant is the preservation of the pocket case decorated blind, a readily dispersible accessory across the centuries. The survival of the book together with its container endows the whole with a more complete character and allows it to be appreciated as an authentic eighteenth-century liturgical object in its original function.

HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE
For centuries the Breviarium Romanum regulated a fundamental portion of the daily life of Catholic clergy. The different canonical hours marked the day through psalms, hymns, biblical readings, patristic texts, and prayers, creating a devotion cycle closely tied to the liturgical calendar. The seasonal division allowed the volumes to be smaller and easier for the ecclesiastic to carry out daily recitation. The Pars Autumnalis thus materially documents a religious practice that was central to European culture for centuries. At the same time, the richness of the binding testifies how these books could also acquire personal and representational value: gold, calfskin, gilt edges, and the case transformed a text of everyday use into a refined object of private devotion and book art.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
ICCU – National Library Service, catalogues of eighteenth-century Italian liturgical editions.
De Marinis, Tammaro, studies on Italian art binding.
Bibliographic catalogues dedicated to the Breviarium Romanum and to the history of Catholic liturgy.
Studies on Italian religious and liturgical typography of the eighteenth century.