Missel

1506 · Best.-Nr. ABC_47741 — Paris: Thielman Kerver 1506. Gold- and blind-tooled black goatskin morocco 1st half of the 18th century sewn on 4 supports each board with a frame of blind triple fillets the front board also with the date “ANNODOMINI1506” in gold in a gold-tooled frame with a saw-tooth edge and a flower in each corner: to make lining numerals the finisher used a J for 1 and an O for 0 and the spine-title “MISSALEROMANUM” in gold in the 2nd of 5 compartments gilt edges 2 brass hook fastenings with pin catch-plates marbled endpapers so-called Dutch combed pattern – teeth about 6.5 mm apart in red blue orange white and green more subtly curled than Wolfe 34 & 35 and the remains of a tab on the fore-edge of n2 marking the beginning of the Canon. 8vo. Printed in red and black throughout in 2 columns except for the preliminaries and Canon in 1 column with on the title page the first 1497 version of Kerver’s finely executed armorial device Renouard 499: a shield with “T K” above a mark with a cross supported by unicorns the shield hanging on a tree surrounded by many flowers 103 x 73 mm with a criblée background and with “THIELMAN KERVER” in a scroll in the foot; a crucifixion woodcut 120 x 82 mm; hundreds of impressions of at least 28 finely executed lombardic initials 4 series with decorations on a criblée background a 39 mm T with a crucifixion scene; two 28 mm: an R with a heron standing on one leg with an eel or snake in its mouth and an S with floral decorations; three 21 mm with floral and vine decoration; and at least twenty-two 13 mm with floral and vine decoration forming a complete 23-letter alphabet except for K X Y and Z plus alternate blocks for at least C O and S and a couple simple woodcut lombardic initials; as well as dozens of at least mostly 4-line spaces left for manuscript initials about half with printed guide letters filled in with manuscript lombardic initials in blue some with white or white and red decoration except for 3 lombardic initials in red; 3 sizes of cast lombardic initials 11 6 and 3 mm printed in red; a two-impression plainchant music type 10 mm 4-line staff in red with square-head notes and c-clef in black and two small typographic ornaments apparently designed for printing in red and black. The maltese crosses pilcros paragraph marks and Vx and Rx signs are printed in red and the capitals are rubricated throughout. The main text is set in a rotunda gothic type 66 mm/20 lines and the Canon n5r-o2v and the first line of the title in a textura gothic 112 mm/20 lines. The woodcut crucifixion on n4v facing the opening of the Canon Kerver’s device and the criblée initials are all coloured by a contemporary hand. The rare first missal for the Roman rite to be printed or published by the great Paris printing and publishing family Kerver best known for their luxurious liturgical and devotional printing especially their books of hours. There appears to be no copy in any French library. Kerver’s first missal in 1501 was made for the Paris rite. Kerver’s early missals including the present one are extremely rare the USTC recording no more than five copies of any edition printed before 1520. Caerr p. 73 notes that Kerver’s present first publisher’s device is “universally recognised as a master-piece”. It has been suggested that Kerver’s criblée blocks were metal cuts rather than woodcuts. The crucifixion scene facing the opening of the Canon is a more traditional woodcut. Caerr p. 51 suggests Kerver reached the pinnacle of his success in his stylistic evolution in or around 1506 fully incorporating Renaissance tastes in the period 1505-1514 and perfecting the criblée technique used for his present publisher’s device and initials. The present edition is also a very early example of the use of abstract typographic ornaments. The preliminaries include a calendar of feast days and most of its less common Saint’s days printed in red suggest a Franciscan connection.Thielman Kerver Koblenz ca. 1460/70-Paris 1522 appears in Paris imprints as a bookseller and publisher working with various printers and co-publishers from 1497 beginning with books of hours which always remained his greatest speciality. He added his own printing office in 1498 though he continued to work with others and expanded into a wide variety of genres. He also added other kinds of liturgical books including breviaries from 1499 a psalter in 1500/01 and missals from 1501 apparently publishing about 16 missals to his death in 1522 first using the present form of the title in the present edition. He was sworn in as official bookseller to the University in Paris in 1501 and soon after also printer hence the “In alma Parisiorum Academia” in the present title and colophon. Kerver’s widow continued the firm from 1522 to her death in 1557 their son Jacques continued it to his death in 1583 and its materials were sold in 1586.The fact that both the wording of the title and the exact date differ between the title page and the colophon the latter is 40 days later has led nearly every reference work from Weale in 1886 to the present USTC to turn one 1506 edition into two most describing a folio edition by Kerver a ghost and an anonymous 8vo edition supposedly with no copy known. David Shaw provided an accurate description on-line based on the British Library copy.With an inscription in the head margin of the title page partly shaved and difficult to read; the engraved publisher’s device of the Antwerp printer and publisher Jean Baptiste III Verdussen 1698-1773 on the front and back pastedown serving as his bookplate see above. Also with an 1831 owner’s inscription of S. De Ram on a free endleaf facing the title page. The rubricator or an early owner has added several notes in red in the calendar. Further with an occasional early marginal manuscript note some shaved. Four words in the Canon have been deliberately erased as an editorial revision. With an 8 cm tear into one leaf the running heads of a few others shaved the title-page slightly soiled a 3 mm hole in leaf 232 E4 affecting 2 or 3 words some tiny marginal wormholes in a few leaves and some water stains in the endpapers otherwise in very good condition. The binding shows a few small defects one slightly affecting the gold lettering on the front board but is also generally very good. A rare and beautifully produced missal and the second major display of Kerver’s stunning criblée initials all coloured by a contemporary hand as are the woodcut and Kerver's device.l Thierry Caerr Imprimerie et réussite sociale à Paris .: Thielman Kerver . 2000 2 vols. www.enssib.fr/bibliotheque-numerique 117 4 copies erroneously described as a folio; Catalogue . bibliothèque de feu . Jean de Meyer Ghent 2-5 November 1869 lot 33 8vo 23 March 1506 not mentioning Kerver but with “alma Parisiorum Academia”; Pettegree French books 68270 not noting Kerver’s name & 68271 erroneously described as a folio 1 of the same 4 copies; Frank Isaac reworked by David Shaw frenchpostincunables.djshaw.co.uk IS000343; USTC 68270 not noting Kerver’s name & 180236 erroneously described as a folio same copy as Pettegree; Catalogue . de la bibliothèque de M. Jean François van de Velde Ghent 1831 lot 1360 with an extra woodcut inserted facing leaf 58; Catalogus librorum Joannis Baptistae Verdussen Antwerp widow of Hieronymous Verdussen 15 July 1776 liturgy lot 45 the present copy; Weale & Bohatta Bibliographia liturgica 1928 982 23 March 1506 2 copies & 985 11 February 1506 not noting Kerver’s name no copy located both on p. 147 in the 1886 ed.; WorldCat 152428895 315474570 843131050 843131052 906577964 1063178422 5 copies plus 2 ghosts; not in Adams no Kerver missal before 1515; Davis Fairfax Murray French no Kerver missal; Mortimer Harvard French no Kerver missal before 1574; SUDOC; catalogue.bnf.fr. Thielman Kerver, unknown