AA.VV. - Officium Beatae Mariae - 1685

A PLANTINIAN TREASURE OF DEVOTION: THE VIRGIN’S OFFICE IN RED AND BLACK, ANTWERP 1685
ABSTRACT
Magnificent seventeenth-century edition of the Officium Beatae Mariae Virginis issued from the famous Plantiniana workshop of Antwerp. Printed in 1685 by Balthasar Moretus, heir to the great typographic tradition founded by Christophe Plantin, it presents the liturgical text in elegant red-and-black printing. The illustration program includes a copper-engraved vignette on the title page and 16 full-page engravings devoted to the principal episodes and offices of Christian devotion. The copy preserves a refined red Morocco binding with rich gold decoration, gilt edges, marbled flyleaves and Carpaneto ex-libris. The two metal clasps are particularly striking, probably added at a later date.

WHY TO BUY
PLANTIN-MORETUS PRINTING – A product of the legendary Plantiniana workshop in Antwerp, one of the most prestigious printing houses in Europe during the modern era.
RED AND BLACK TYPOGRAPHY – Exceptional typographic quality with the liturgical text printed in red and black, large wood-engraved initials, ornaments and finials.
16 FULL-PAGE ENGRAVINGS – The edition is illustrated with 16 full-page copper engravings, in addition to the title-page vignette, featuring Marian and Christological iconography.
LUXURY BINDING – Elegant red morocco decorated in gold, five spine bands, floral tooling, gilt edges and metal clasps: a true prestigious devotional book.

MARKET VALUE
Considering the quality of the binding, Plantiniana printing, the copper-engraved apparatus and the overall condition, a realistic auction range can be indicated at approximately €500–700. A documented provenance from the Carpaneto ex-libris and the particular binding may increase its interest.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Fine red morocco binding with a fine-grain texture. Panels framed by multiple concentric gold lines and small floral tools at the corners. Five-rib spine with the title “OFFIC. B.M. VIRGIN.” in gold and compartments decorated with floral tooling. Gilt inner borders. Gilded edges. Polychrome marbled flyleaves. Two large metal clasps with decorative shaping (one clasp missing); these are probably later than the seventeenth-century binding. Carpaneto ex-libris applied to the front paste-down. On the reverse of the final endpaper is an ancient handwritten ownership note. Title page printed in red and black with a copper-engraved vignette depicting the Virgin and Child. The text is entirely embellished by alternating red and black ink; ornate large wooden initials, typographic ornaments and finials. The edition includes 16 full-page copper engravings. Overall a well-preserved copy. Binding shows typical abrasions, scratches and minor signs of use; spine remains solid and the gilding legible. Interior with occasional browning and physiological foxing. Evident at the lower margin of the last leaves are traces of ancient moisture. Engravings are sharp. In old books with a centuries-long history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. This listing contains AI Visualizations. Refer to the original photographs to verify the object’s actual condition. The images are an integral part of the description. Pp.: (4); 48; 724; 4nn; (6).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Officium Beatae Mariae Virginis.
Antuerpiae, ex Officina Plantiniana Balthasaris Moreti, 1685.
AA.VV.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The Officium Beatae Mariae Virginis, or Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was for centuries one of the most widely used texts of private Catholic devotion. Structured according to the canonical hours, it allowed laypeople and religious communities to follow daily a cycle of psalms, hymns, antiphons and prayers dedicated to the Virgin. The text reflects the liturgical reforms following the Council of Trent. The title page explicitly recalls the revision promoted by Pius V and the adaptation to the Roman Breviary recognized under Urban VIII. The initial pages include the bull of Pius V on the recitation of the Office of the Virgin, followed by Urban VIII’s provisions. The final part also includes numerous auxiliary devotions: Officium Sanctae Crucis, Officium Sancti Spiritus, psalms, the rosary, the Litany of the Blessed Virgin and other prayers. The volume therefore represents not only a personal devotion object but also a testimony to the standardization of Catholic liturgy in post-Tridentine Europe.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The Plantiniana workshop was founded in Antwerp around 1555 by Christophe Plantin and quickly became one of Europe’s major printing houses. After Plantin, the printing house passed to the Moretus family, which sustained its quality and prestige for generations. The Moretus family played a particularly important role in the printing of Catholic liturgical texts, a field in which the Plantiniana enjoyed privileges and a vast international market. Numerous editions of the Officium Beatae Mariae Virginis produced by the workshop are documented. The Bibliothèque nationale de France records, for example, a prior Plantin-Moretus edition from 1652. The present 1685 edition is a typically Plantiniana production in graphic quality: crisp types, red-and-black alternation, figure initials, wood-engraved ornaments and copper-engraved illustrations. A later Plantiniana edition from 1700 preserves a very similar structure, with 48 preliminary pages, over 700 pages of text and a rich apparatus of engravings, confirming the long commercial and devotional fortune of this editorial type.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Gonnelli Auction House, Auction 26, February 4–6, 2019, lot 1118: Officium Beatae Mariae Virginis, Antuerpiae, ex Officina Plantiniana Balthasaris Moreti, 1685; [48], 724, [4] pp.; 16 copper engravings; red Morocco binding; ex-libris Carpaneto.
Gonnelli, Auction Catalogue 26, bibliographic description of the 1685 edition.
Bibliothèque nationale de France, Catalogue général, Officium Beatae Mariae Virginis, liturgical editions of the XVII century.
Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense, catalogue of Plantin editions of the Officium Beatae Mariae Virginis, with typographic descriptions and collation of seventeenth-century editions.
Museum Plantin-Moretus, Inventaris Plantijnsch Archief, catalogs and documentation of the Plantin Workshop and of editions produced by the Moretus family up to 1685.
Gonnelli Auction House, Auction 70, 2026, lot 101, featuring an Officium Beatae Mariae, Antwerp, Balthasaris Moreti, 1685, with clasps indicated as probably later.
CERL Heritage of the Printed Book Database, Officina Plantiniana / Balthasar Moretus, seventeenth-century liturgical editions.
WorldCat, Officium Beatae Mariae Virginis, Antwerp, Balthasar Moretus, 1685.
SBN – Servizio Bibliotecario Nazionale, catalogues of Plantin-Moretus liturgical editions preserved in Italian libraries.