From the printing office of St. John the Baptist at al-Shuwayr

[Biblia arabica - NT]. Kitab al-Injil as-sharif at-tahir wa-al-misbah al-munir al-zahir.

Al-Shuwayr, Kisrawan, Lebanon, St. John the Baptist Monastery, [1776].

Folio (213 x 322 mm). (4), 316 pp. Parts printed in red and black. With numerous ornamental lines and several woodcut tailpieces. Modern half calf.

 8,500.00

"The Evangelion of the Greek Church, containing the Gospels arranged for liturgical reading throughout the year" (Darlow/M.). From the printing office of the monastery of St. John the Baptist at Shuwair in the Lebanon, which was operative between 1734 and 1899 (cf. Silvestre de Sacy I, pp. 412-414; Middle Eastern Languages and the Print Revolution. A Cross-Cultural Encounter, Westhofen 2002, pp. 179-181).

Particularly remarkable in this present publication is the typographic decor: all pages are framed by double rules; new sections of text are headed with an ornamental line of floral elements across the entire page width, and numerous pages show smaller figural endpieces (roses, baskets, crosses, as well as the Virgin with the Child Jesus) - a charming juxtaposition of simple woodcuts showing floral and geometrical decor familiar from the Hebrew prints produced in 19th-century Palestine with the more elaborate products "à la italienne".

Some occasional worming, browning and brownstaining.

References

Schnurrer 360. Darlow/Moule 1661.

Stock Code: BN#33411 Tags: , , ,