PAINTED BINDING. ~ Prize notebook for a Maria van Halen at St. Leonhard's Girls' School, Aachen.
Original prize portfolio of dark brown straight grain morocco (20.4 x 14 cm), with an inset painting on silk including an image of Aachen, including the school with an angel holding a banner “Beati omnes qui timent Dominum, qui ambulant in viis ejus” and with the words “Memory of St. Leonhard” at the bottom, gilt ruling round the edges, original clasp engraved with the word “Preis (prize)” and ‘1857’. Inserted through a string thread internally is the original blank notebook of 14 leaves of variously coloured paper (pink, yellow, cream and green) in glazed patterned paper wrappers, the back is a weekly calendar in French printed in gilt on glazed paper for writing on with a stylus then erasing, this forms the top of a pocket. In excellent condition.
A label on the front pastedown presents this prize for German to Maria van Halen on 2nd Sept. 1857 and signed by Paula van Houtem.
St. Leonhard’s in Aachen was founded in 1625 by Sepulchrine nuns as a girls’ school with boarding house and secularised in 1802. By the time of this prize it was run by Ursuline sisters as a school and a place for training teachers.