Vintage Canon board (also known as Altar Card or Canon Board), used specifically for the Tridentine Mass (the traditional Latin Mass). This particular model comes from Tournai, Belgium, dating around 1935. Canon boards were placed on the altar to assist the priest in reading the prayers in Latin without having to constantly flip through the Missal (the liturgical book), especially during the most important moments of the Mass. The text is written in Latin and includes consecration prayers and fragments from the Mass, such as Gloria in Excelsis Deo or the Creed. At the center, there is almost always an image of the Crucifixion of Jesus (Calvary). This piece is framed in a gilded bronze metal frame and protected by glass, decorated with floral motifs and angels in an illuminated style. The text visible at the base of the central image is part of the Canon of the Mass: 'Hic est enim calix sanguinis mei, novi et æterni testamenti: (This is the chalice of my blood, of the new and eternal covenant: the mystery of faith...) The historical value of this Canon Table (the Gloria in Tournai model, Belgium, circa 1935) lies in its role as a witness to a bygone liturgical era and in its quality as a handcrafted religious art object. This piece was created just a few decades before the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), which introduced the Novus Ordo (the liturgy in vernacular languages). The object represents the pinnacle of the use of the Tridentine Rite, where the centrality of the Latin language and strict ritual gestures made these tables indispensable on any Catholic altar. The city of Tournai in Belgium has a millennial religious history, being an important center for printing and producing luxury liturgical objects in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A piece marked "Tournai" indicates origin from a center with high standards of Catholic craftsmanship. The bronze frame, often decorated with neo-Gothic or Baroque motifs, transforms a simple liturgical text into a sacred decorative piece. Although the text is printed, the marginal decoration (illumination) mimics medieval manuscripts, giving it the appearance of a rare manuscript. Although they were mass-produced, many such objects were destroyed or lost after the 1960s, when they were no longer regularly needed at the altar. Today, they are sought after by collectors of religious antiques and by parishes that celebrate the Liturgy in the old rite. This is an authentic piece of religious heritage, deserving preservation both for its aesthetic beauty and for its spiritual and historical significance. Measures 49.4 / 31.5 cm.