Book of Hours, Use of Paris. Hore beate Marie virginis secundum usum Parrhisien, Totaliter ad longum, text in French and Latin, collation: a-o^8, 110 ff. (of 112, lacking b⁵ and e⁶), printed on vellum, 27 lines, Gothic type, Eustace's large metalcut second device to title, calendar for 1508-1520, full-page metalcut of anatomical man, 14 full-page metalcuts within multiple-piece metalcut borders and 33 smaller cuts within text, initials and line fillers in red or blue and gold, 23 ff. ms. religious texts and prayers in French and Latin in two early ink hands bound in at start and end, genitals of anatomical man neatly removed, occasional staining and finger-soiling, 16th century calf, covers with double gilt filet borders, upper cover with oval medallion of the Crucifixion and lower cover with medallion of the Annunciation (this worn), spine in compartments, each with a small floral tool, spine repaired, rubbed and marked, 8vo (173 x 102mm), [Paris], Guillaume Eustace; [colophon: Jean Barbier for Nicolas Vivien], [9th March, 1508].

⁂ A rare Hours printed on vellum. This is the only copy we can trace at auction (last sold in the sale of Richard Hatchwell, 2009) and seemingly the only institutional copy is to be found at the State Library of Victoria, Australia. A similar version of this production with the Use of Rome is more common. Jean Barbier is probably the same printer who was first active for a short time in England, working with Julian Notary on the first Sarum missal to be printed in England for Wynkyn de Worde in 1498.

Provenance: Richard Hatchwell, his sale Bonhams, 10th June, 2009, lot 6 (loosely inserted bookplate).

References: cf. Bohatta 853 and Lacombe 185, similar but with Use of Rome.