Livre de prières

Livre de prières tissé d'après les enluminures des manuscrits du XIVe au XVIe siècle. Lyon: by J.A. Henry, fabricant, for A. Roux, libraire éditeur, 1886 [completed 8 September 1887]



22 leaves mounted on guards (leaf size: 6 1/2 x 5 1/4 in.; 165 x 133 mm). Text in French in Gothic font, half-title with cartouche on verso, two section titles, 3 full-page illustrations, each text page with elaborate decorative border, entirely woven on silver grey silk satin. Dark brown levant morocco janséniste by Kaufmann Petit, brown silk moiré doublures; in pristine condition. Marbled slipcase and chemise, brown morocco spine elaborately gilt.

22 leaves mounted on guards (leaf size: 6 1/2 x 5 1/4 in.; 165 x 133 mm). Text in French in Gothic font, half-title with cartouche on verso, two section titles, 3 full-page illustrations, each text page with elaborate decorative border, entirely woven on silver grey silk satin. Dark brown levant morocco janséniste by Kaufmann Petit, brown silk moiré doublures; in pristine condition. Marbled slipcase and chemise, brown morocco spine elaborately gilt.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

An extraordinary specimen of the book arts, produced entirely on a jacquard loom.  Manufactured by the jacquard process, this book anticipates the computer age, as it was woven using perforated punch cards similar to those that programmed the first computers.

"The book is woven on silk with the Jacquard loom, the fabric in very beautiful silk, remarkably tight, comprising 400 threads to the inch; moreover... the chain is horizontal instead of being vertical, and its screen is vertical instead of being horizontal; it is the screen which produces the characters and the ornaments. The number of punch cards necessary for this kind of work is enormous, it is not fewer than several hundreds of thousands. To arrive at this fineness... one needs a very large precision of movement. And the amplitude of the movements of the mechanism was limited to a tenth of a millimeter and it is such fine engraving that the process had to be started again around fifty or so times before arriving at a satisfactory result ... This book is a very remarkable work in execution and choice of engravings, decorated letters and borders. It is an extremely original attempt, and its success and perfection constitute a singular work and make it the greatest production its manufacturer in Lyon undertook using this method" (trans. of Paul Marais, conservateur-adjoint de la Bibliothèque Mazarine, in Bulletin du Bibliophile, 1889, pp.163-166).