Morale du Christianisme | 1880

An elegant 19th-century French volume, Morale du Christianisme: Offerte à la Jeunesse, second edition, published in Lille by L. Lefort in 1880. This instructive work, offered to youth, explores Christian morality through the lens of the Ten Commandments, blending moral guidance with religious devotion.

In a beautiful cartonnage romantique binding in warm gilt tones, the boards feature intricate geometric framed with white decorative overlays can be referred to as  à la plaque dorée, with the gilt geometrical framing in the cathedral style, surrounding a hand-colored vignette. The front board is adorned with an illustration of a gentleman traveler and a young boy in conversation with a woman at a garden gate, while the back board displays an equally ornate gilt and white geometric design. The spine is richly gilt-decorated with the title Morale and the publisher’s imprint.

Inside, the volume contains a finely engraved frontispiece captioned “Ramassez cela, vous en ferez toujours quelque bon usage” (“Pick it up, you will always make some good use of it”), along with clean, well-printed text on quality laid paper. Minimal period foxing is present, consistent with age.

A notable example of provincial French decorative bookbinding from the late 19th century, combining moral instruction with artistry.

Size: 4” x 7”

Provenance & Notes:
Books from L. Lefort’s press in Lille are sought after for their high-quality provincial printing and richly decorative bindings, often produced for moral and educational works aimed at young readers.