G. de Jerphanion - La Voix des Monuments - 1930-1945

Guillaume de Jerphanion – La Voix des monuments – 1930-1938 – 2 volumes – Deluxe red leather bindings

Fine set of two volumes devoted to Christian archaeology, Paleochristian art and Byzantine art, by Guillaume de Jerphanion (1877-1948), Jesuit, archaeologist and art historian.

Bibliographic description

- Author: Guillaume de Jerphanion, S. J.
- Title: La Voix des monuments
- Volume I: Notes et études d'archéologie chrétienne (1930)
- Volume II: Études d'archéologie – Nouvelle série (1938)
- Publishers: Éditions Van Oest, Paris and Brussels (volume I); publishers indicated on the title page of volume II
- Language: French
- Number of volumes: 2
- Pagination: about 332 pages per volume, excluding any front matter
- Indicative dimensions: 28 × 19 cm per volume

Bindings

Both works feature beautiful matching red leather bindings, with:

- Spine with raised bands ornamented with gilded titles and volume numbers.
- Boards combining red leather and marbled paper in red, pink, and black tones.
- Homogeneous bindings forming a particularly decorative set.
- Neat presentation, suitable for a collector's library.

Content of the works

These two volumes gather numerous scholarly studies devoted to monuments and the origins of Christian art.

Among the topics covered are:

- The early basilicas and ancient Christian monuments.
- Architecture and religious decorations of Late Antiquity.
- Byzantine mosaics, frescoes and paintings.
- Churches and monuments of Syria, Asia Minor and Cappadocia.
- Christian iconography and its evolution.
- Ancient inscriptions and their archaeological interpretations.
- The famous SATOR AREPO square.

The works are enriched with numerous documentary illustrations, old photographs, reproductions of mosaics, archaeological drawings and plates out of text.

State of preservation

Fine old set with bindings visually well preserved.

The photographs show sturdy spines, decorative boards and interior pages preserving their original presentation.

Some normal signs of age and use may be present.

The photographs are part of the description and allow appreciation of the two works' real condition.

Bibliophile interest

Guillaume de Jerphanion is notably recognized for his major work on the rock-cut churches of Cappadocia and Oriental Christian archaeology.

This set offers a double interest: documentary, due to the wealth of research and illustrations, and bibliophilic, thanks to its elegant matching bindings.

Sale of the two volumes together, constituting a beautiful collectible on the history of Christian and Byzantine art.