1845 - Rene ou La Charite Recompensee (Rene or La Charity Rewarded)

Published 1845

Mame, Publishers/ Paris, France

In the 19th century, France witnessed a remarkable era of artistic and luxurious bookbinding known as cartonnage. Cartonnage bindings emerged as a popular form of decorative coverings for books, showcasing the exquisite craftsmanship and artistic sensibilities of the time. These bindings were typically made from stiffened pasteboard or cardboard, covered in decorative paper or silk fabrics adorned with intricate designs, gold tooling, and vibrant colors.

French cartonnage bindings of the 19th century often incorporated various techniques such as embossing, gilding, and marbling to create visually striking covers that captivated the eyes of book lovers and collectors alike.

Highly decorative ornate small-size cartonnage binding with gilt detail to both boards/spine, paste-down illustration to front board, engraving/frontispiece, paste-down to front endpaper noting given as a gift, binding tight, clean pages, some light wear/ rubbing to boards/ edges/ corners from age/use, foxing to page edges, 180pp. Very good antiquarian condition.

Rare Book

Size: 3 1/2” x 5 1/2”

A very lovely 19th century cartonnage piece from France!