Antique Ivory, Silver and Tortoiseshell Missal in Good Condition. France, 1858

This nostalgic piece is an antique missal, made in France and dated in 1858. The missal has real bone-made covers, with the front cover decorated with tortoiseshell and silver details. It is a delicate piece of craftsmanship with a stunning beauty; these features are enhanced by its excellent condition. The missal preserves all its pages, with content written in French and embellished with charming black-and-white engravings. The bone cover bears an oval tortoiseshell detail surrounded by an embossed silver frame; at the edges and the corners we can see more silver details. Over the tortoiseshell oval there is a silver monogram with an M and a lobed-ended cross. The first page is colorfully printed with a lovely golden frame that surrounds the title and the editors name. It is also embellished with flowers and vegetal motives, and we can read the inscription PAROISSIEN ROMAIN PARIS BELIR LEPRIEUR et MORIZOT. On the following page we find again the title and the name of one of the editors, Morizot, with a brief description of the missals content. Some of the pages show charming engravings with scenes of the New Testament such as the Adoration of the Magi. On other pages, the text is headed by a simple illustration inspired by the content. There is also a wonderful colored page with a reproduction of a medieval codexs text, with an outstanding beauty. On the other hand, the missal shows the stamp of the bookshop where it was originally bought: LIBRERIE NOUVELLE ARMAND GIRAUD. On one of the first pages we can also see a handwritten inscription with a signature, date and place: Eugenie Birolleau y (this second name is not clear), 1858 Rochefort Sur Mer. The missal comes in its original case and hides some charming bookmarks. One of them is made of die-cut cardboard with a colorful decoration and a handwritten inscription at the back. This gorgeous antique missal is a small jewel of religious handcraft. Its authenticity and charm turn it into a very special gift.