1845 Der Fromme Christ – Münster | Full Leather with Sterling Silver Clasps & Ornaments | Illustrated Catholic Prayer Book | Very Rare

Printed in Münster in 1845 by the Coppenrath’sche Buch- und Kunsthandlung, Der Fromme Christ (“The Devout Christian”) is a substantial German Catholic prayer book bound in full blind-stamped leather and lavishly adorned with ornate sterling silver mounts and working clasps.

The boards feature elaborate repoussé silver ornamentation with florals, hearts, and beadwork framing a central medallion (appearing to depict the Last Supper to the front and a Crucifixion scene to the rear). Two heavy, fully functional silver clasps secure the text block. The upper interior clasp bears an engraved owner’s name; the lower clasp is engraved “ZAD VWL 1848” (possibly a silversmith or ownership inscription).

The binding is richly blind-tooled with decorative panels and retains its dramatic visual presence — a devotional object as much as a book.

Internally, the volume contains:
    •    Illustrated frontispiece (two-page)
    •    Color vignette title page
    •    Renewed red marbled endpapers
    •    Faint floral gauffered page edges with gilt trim
    •    572 pages (plus prelims)
    •    German text

The typography is bold and devotional in character, printed in large, expressive Gothic type. A strong display copy with impressive shelf presence and authentic mid-19th century ecclesiastical craftsmanship.

Binding tight and secure. Both silver clasps fully functional. Silver shows natural age patina and surface wear consistent with use.

This is not a common devotional — the combination of intact silverwork, named clasp engraving, and illustrated interior makes it distinctly collectible.

Condition: Very good overall.

Size: 4 1/2” x 7 1/4”

A commanding 19th-century Catholic silver-mounted devotional that bridges faith, craftsmanship, and history.