FINE FRENCH ROYAL BINDING
[FRENCH ROYAL BINDING.] L'Office de la Semaine-Sainte … En Latin et en François. Paris: Jacques- François Collombat. 1748.
8vo. Full red morocco, most likely by the Dubuisson workshop, stamped in gilt with the arms of Louis XV or Louis XVI on boards within gilt border of fleurs-de-lys, spine with raised bands, gilt panelled with fleur-de lys corner pieces and centre tools, all edges gilt from the workshop engraved frontispiece and title-page, 4 plates, woodcut head and tail pieces, pp.1-672, 707/708 (deliberately bound without Préparation a la communion paschale); one corner expertly repaired, spine slightly darkened, engraved bookplate of Joseph and Josephine Drexel, library shelf labels on front free pastedown and free endpaper, otherwise a very good example of a handsome French Royal binding.
The date of the book suggests that the arms are those of Louis XV. However, the same style of arms was also used by Louis XIV and Louis XVI, and it is possible that the arms blocks were shared among them. This binding resembles a Louis XVI binding in Sotheby's Six Centuries of Book Binding Catalogue~I~ (No. 78, 7 November 2002), but also bears similarities to example bindings from all three reigns in the British Library.
The impression of the copperplates are deep and crisp, which indicates an early use of these printing surfaces.
Pierre-Paul Dubuisson is together with his father René (died about 1776) among the most famous of this dynasty of French bookbinders. Piere-Paul had become Binder to the King in 1758.
#2121344