NUNS' BINDING REPAIR

[Carmelite Order, Flanders, Discalced Sisters]: Ordinaire ou ceremonial des réligieuses deschaussées de l'Ordre de N. Dame du Mont Carmel, selon les rites & rubriques de nostre S. Mere Eglise Romaine. À Anvers [Antwerp], en l'Imprimerie Plantinienne de Balthasar Moretus. 1656.

Book of orders intended, as revealed in the foreword (Rome, 1655), for Discalced Carmelite nuns of the Flanders region. The book was published by Balthasar II Moretus (1615-1674), under whom the output of the once-humanist Plantin press was almost entirely given to books for church use. The book is heavily concerned with the nuns' church ceremonial, with subjects including ringing of bells, the choir, holy offices, mass, and feast days. A final part is concerned particularly with the refectory. The Discalced Carmelite sisters of Kortrijk who owned this copy also corrected it, using the errata leaf that is found at the end. They most probably undertook the copy's binding-repair work.

Description 

One volume, 17.3 cms. x 10.7 cms. in binding, octavo, pp. [6] [3]-144 [6]. Signed A1, *², A^2-8, B-I⁸, K⁴ (- sig. K4, presum. blank). With sig. K3 (recto: 'Additions au Ceremonial'), which is found neither in the Plantin-Moretus Museum copy A1937 (digitised on Google Books) nor in the Ushaw copy (we do not have information on the other two copies on OCLC, at BNF, and Koninklijke Bibliotheek Belgium). Roman and italic letter, woodcut initials and tail-pieces, intaglio Carmelite armorial to title-page. Light browning, text-block loosening, title-page dusty. Small neat repairs to outer margins (blank), sigs. E7 verso and E8 recto, loss to outer corner (blank), sig. F7. Old stiffened vellum binding (soiled, worn), attached or reattached via stabstitching to text block and stitching through the spine; pastedowns possibly from same time, full or partial and extending to gutter of facing page, they have been peeling away since.

Provenance: inscription to title-page, "au convent des Carmelittes Deschaussées de Courtray". MS amendments to text (incorporating most of the changes in the 'Additions au Ceremonial'). Later pencil inscription to front pastedown, C 10935, 217 V.

Bibliography 

BCNI 11263, listing copy at Kortrijk OCarm (perhaps this one), and one in the library of the Carmelites of Ghent. Four copies on OCLC, of which one located outside European mainland (Ushaw College Library, UK).

For Balthasar II Moretus see page on the website of the Plantin-Moretus Museum (Antwerp), https://museumplantinmoretus.be/en/page/balthasar-ii-and-later-moretuses (last viewed 16 December 2024).