Paul Lacroix, Franz Kellerhoven - Manners, Customs & Costumes of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance - 1874

This is one of the greatest 19th-century illustrated reference books on medieval and early Renaissance daily life, costume, and material culture. Written by the renowned French historian and librarian Paul Lacroix (1806–1884), known to collectors as “Bibliophile Jacob”, this Firmin-Didot edition was produced as a true showpiece: a large-format volume packed with period scenes, garments, interiors, ceremonies, and objects, illustrated throughout and brought to life with brilliant colour plates.

Offered here is the Paris 1874 fourth edition (Quatrième édition), a handsome and highly visual work that remains sought after by collectors of illustrated books as well as by artists and medieval-history enthusiasts. The chromolithographs are especially attractive examples of 19th-century colour printing, with rich pigments and fine detail, while the extensive in-text engravings make the book endlessly browsable.


Bibliographic details: Paul Lacroix, Moeurs, usages et costumes au Moyen Âge et à l’époque de la Renaissance; Paris, Librairie de Firmin Didot Frères, Fils et Cie, 1874; Quatrième édition; large in-4 (approx. 29 × 21 cm); iv + 603 pages; illustrated with colour chromolithographic plates executed by F. Kellerhoven and engravings in the text.

Condition: overall very well-preserved for its age, with normal age toning and light spotting/foxing in places (see photos). Colour plate(s) show strong, fresh colour and crisp detail.