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THE GOSPELS
by (BINDINGS - 19TH CENTURY BRASS WITH PAINTINGS). BIBLE IN SLAVONIC
- Used
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
McMinnville, Oregon, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Russia, ca. 1835. 420 x 320 mm. (16 1/2 x 12 1/2").
Impressive 19th century brass over wooden boards, covers embossed in high relief with floriate borders, the front cover with five inset paintings under glass of the Evangelists and Jesus, the back cover with figure of Jesus standing among trees with sunburst over his head. Woodcut page borders. ◆Brass a little tarnished, glass on front cover slightly darkened, but the striking binding excellent in every way. Title page a bit soiled, last few leaves with small spots (from wax?), otherwise fine internally, the text clean and fresh.
This edition of the Gospels in the Slavonic language used by the Eastern Orthodox Churches is handsomely bound in a Byzantine style popular for books of Scripture in 19th century Russia. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "The liturgy and offices of the Byzantine Church were translated from the Greek into what is now Old Slavonic (or Church Slavonic) by Saints Cyril and Methodius about the year 866 and the period immediately following. St. Cyril is credited with having invented or adapted a special alphabet which now bears his name (Cyrillic) in order to express the sounds of the Slavonic language, as spoken by the Bulgars and Moravians of his day. Later on, St. Methodius translated the entire Bible into Slavonic, and his disciples afterwards added other works of the Greek saints and the canon law." The use of Slavonic in the performance of Mass and the sacraments caused considerable controversy until 879, when Pope John VIII approved it. The present strikingly bound volume was sold in 2006 at Christie's in New York as lot #491 in the sale of the library of Cornelius J. Hauck, who had purchased the book in 1957 from Emil Offenbacher. Hauck (1893-1967) was a Cincinnati businessman and philanthropist whose inherited fortune came from his family's brewery and was spent in part on the acquisition of books and related objects, with an emphasis on the variety of forms the written word can take. His sale brought in some $12.4 million..
Impressive 19th century brass over wooden boards, covers embossed in high relief with floriate borders, the front cover with five inset paintings under glass of the Evangelists and Jesus, the back cover with figure of Jesus standing among trees with sunburst over his head. Woodcut page borders. ◆Brass a little tarnished, glass on front cover slightly darkened, but the striking binding excellent in every way. Title page a bit soiled, last few leaves with small spots (from wax?), otherwise fine internally, the text clean and fresh.
This edition of the Gospels in the Slavonic language used by the Eastern Orthodox Churches is handsomely bound in a Byzantine style popular for books of Scripture in 19th century Russia. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "The liturgy and offices of the Byzantine Church were translated from the Greek into what is now Old Slavonic (or Church Slavonic) by Saints Cyril and Methodius about the year 866 and the period immediately following. St. Cyril is credited with having invented or adapted a special alphabet which now bears his name (Cyrillic) in order to express the sounds of the Slavonic language, as spoken by the Bulgars and Moravians of his day. Later on, St. Methodius translated the entire Bible into Slavonic, and his disciples afterwards added other works of the Greek saints and the canon law." The use of Slavonic in the performance of Mass and the sacraments caused considerable controversy until 879, when Pope John VIII approved it. The present strikingly bound volume was sold in 2006 at Christie's in New York as lot #491 in the sale of the library of Cornelius J. Hauck, who had purchased the book in 1957 from Emil Offenbacher. Hauck (1893-1967) was a Cincinnati businessman and philanthropist whose inherited fortune came from his family's brewery and was spent in part on the acquisition of books and related objects, with an emphasis on the variety of forms the written word can take. His sale brought in some $12.4 million..
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Details
- Bookseller
- Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- ST19408
- Title
- THE GOSPELS
- Author
- (BINDINGS - 19TH CENTURY BRASS WITH PAINTINGS). BIBLE IN SLAVONIC
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Place of Publication
- Russia
- Date Published
- ca. 1835
Terms of Sale
Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts
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About the Seller
Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts
Biblio member since 2006
McMinnville, Oregon
About Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts
Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books an Manuscripts was established in 1978 on a ping pong table in a basement in Kalamazoo, Michigan. From the beginning, its founder was willing to sell a range of material, but over the years, the business has gravitated toward historical artifacts that are physically attractive in some way--illuminated material, fine bindings, books printed on vellum, fore-edge paintings, beautiful typography and paper, impressive illustration. Today, the company still sells a wide range of things, from (scruffy) ninth century leaves to biblical material from all periods to Wing and STC imprints to modern private press books to artists' bindings. While we are forgiving about condition when something is of considerable rarity, we always try to obtain the most attractive copies possible of whatever we offer for sale.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Soiled
- Generally refers to minor discoloration or staining.
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Leaves
- Very generally, "leaves" refers to the pages of a book, as in the common phrase, "loose-leaf pages." A leaf is a single sheet...
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
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