ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT c. 1880. ~ Actes et Prières pour la Communion.
32 pp. of elaborate hand illuminated lithographed text of the communion service with a splendid illuminated frontispiece depicting a saint at communion. Sq. 8vo., original chestnut brown morocco decorated in blind and with gilt trefoils in each corner and in each spine panel, lettered in gilt with gilt initials on the upper cover, turn ins with gilt tooled borders, endleaves of deep red watered silk, all edges gilt with silk bookmark. In excellent condition with the occasional offset.
An elaborate first communion book which were sold with the text and elementary borders of each page lithographically printed. Subsequently the plain, printed pages were all illuminated in colour including silver and gold by the owner or someone commissioned to do so, usually a woman. Perhaps surprisingly only a very few of these have survived.