9 - ROUSSELET (Jean-Pierre). Prayers for the Mass. Written by Rousselet. In Paris.

ROUSSELET (Jean-Pierre). Prayers for the Mass. Written by Rousselet. In Paris. Small 8vo manuscript (121 x 76 mm) comprising 40 leaves on vellum, (Paris, circa 1690–1710), contemporary binding in blue Jansenist morocco lined with red morocco, covers adorned with rich full-gold decoration, gilt paper endpapers, gilt edges. A SUPERB MANUSCRIPT ON VELIN SKIN, CALLIGRAPHED AND RICHLY DECORATED BY ROUSSELET, UNDOUBTEDLY ONE OF HIS MOST REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENTS. Featuring flawless calligraphy in large Roman characters—brown ink for the text, gold, blue, and red for the titles and subtitles, and the running title in red italics—each page is framed by a gold border edged in red. The manuscript’s extensive ornamentation consists of: - A title written in alternating gold, red, blue, and brown letters, set within a large frame with a guilloché gold background adorned with repeated motifs and enhanced by a trellis of vine shoots delicately painted in blue, green, and ochre gouache, clinging to a rocaille frame. - Two large out-of-text miniatures at the beginning of each section (Prayers and Canon), set, like the title, within rich frames decorated in gouache with various motifs and attributes on a guilloché gold background, the first depicting the Sacrifice of the Mass, the second the Crucifixion. - Two miniatures at the beginning of each section in frames of the same type, the first showing the Lamb lying on the Book of Life, bearing seven seals, the second the Last Supper. - Seven small miniatures within the text, executed with great finesse in alternating shades of blue and ochre enhanced with gold, depicting scenes from the Passion in detail (the last one showing St. John on Patmos)—true feats of artistry given their size. - 37 initials painted in blue, placed in the center of squares with a guilloché gold background featuring the same design as the frames of the miniatures, among which the two largest—at the beginning of the Prayers and the Canon—as well as eight medium-sized ones, are framed by a blue border embellished with gold motifs; the others, which are smaller, are simply framed by a gold line edged in red. - Six drop caps painted in gold and color, the last one being large (half-page). - Numerous small initials in gold, blue, and red throughout the text. Active in Paris between approximately 1677 and 1736, Jean-Pierre Rousselet was the principal follower of Nicolas Jarry, the famous calligrapher and author of *La Guirlande de Julie*, among whom he “occupies a distinguished place” (Roger Portalis, “Nicolas Jarry and Calligraphy in the 17th Century,” in *Bulletin du bibliophile*, 1896–97). Among the works by this artist, who “worked for the Richelieu, Beauvilliers, and Pontchartrain families and for the King,” notable works include the *Labyrinthe de Versailles*, presented to Louis XIV, the *Office de la Sainte-Chapelle* (1698), and the *Prières de la Messe*, Marie Leczinska’s wedding book (1725). “Rousselet’s manuscripts are generally on paper […] An excellent draftsman, he decorated them himself¹ and his works are remarkable for the richness of their ornamentation—with pages surrounded by delicately painted arabesques—and for their bindings, often by Padeloup” (Portalis). This manuscript is cited by Portalis, who describes a total of 24 such manuscripts, half of which, like ours, are the Prayers of the Mass. Only three of the manuscripts in this latter group, including ours, were executed on vellum. This one also stands out for the quality and, above all, the richness of its ornamentation, which is far superior to that of most known examples from the same group. It is bound in a beautiful, lined, and decorated binding from the period, attributable to Luc-Antoine Boyet.² The manuscript is in a state of perfect preservation. From the Jean-Jacques De Bure library (1853, no. 25), with a note and signature in his own hand, as well as the notation c.d.m.m. (my mother’s collection) and the number 1018. It sold for 1,050 francs, one of the highest prices of the auction. The catalog entry stated: “a small volume of exquisite freshness and in perfect condition.” Acquired by Émile Rossignol in 1967.