BINDING WITH ARMS. L'Office de la Semaine Sainte,... Lot 32

[BINDING WITH ARMS]. L'Office de la Semaine Sainte, selon le Missel & le Breuiaire Romain... Office book bearing the arms and cipher of Maria Theresa of Austria (1638-1683), Queen of France and wife of the Sun King. Paris, Compagnie des Libraires Associez au Livre de la Semaine Sainte, 1671. In-16, brown calf, spine ribbed with gilt caissons adorned with the queen's cypher ("MTA") and surmounted by a royal crown, boards with a semée alternating crowned lilies and cyphers and the queen's gilt arms surmounted by the same crown and palmed in the center of each, gilt edges. 1 pl.n.ch. - 1 f.n.ch., 836 pp. 7 full-page copper engravings including a frontispiece. In Latin and French. Spine creased and rubbed, jaws tired, boards restored and an addition of leather on the medallion of the lower board distorting it, head and neck rubbed with slight lack to the upper cap, pages slightly browned and rare freckles. Having belonged to the French queen Marie-Thérèse of Austria, probably for her personal religious practice, this office book guides the reader's prayers for Holy Week, with the corresponding Latin and French texts facing each other in two columns. Although only the spine is period, the later covers feature the rich checkerboard pattern of alternating lilies and numerals created for the patron. Not much of a bibliophile, books bearing her coat of arms are not common. Seven engravings, including the frontispiece, illustrate this copy. Three are signed by Herman Weyen (16 ? - 1672), an engraver of the Grand Siècle, including some after Jac. (Jacques or Jacob) Picart. A rare work bearing the royal coat of arms. Sources : - OLIVIER, Eugène, et al, Manuel des amateurs des reliures armoriées, pl. 2506. - Data.bnf.fr - Bibliophilie.blogspot.com