In the course of 2008, a very special book cover was created. A Catholic missal (“Missale Romanum”) from 1940 was to have an elaborate, magnificent binding entirely in the Gothic style with real gold plating all around and elaborate gemstone settings.
A total of 32 real cultured pearls and 18 hand-cut and colored rock crystals were used. The two additional book clasps were each decorated with 2 red-colored rock crystals and foliage.
Approx. 4 months of work, museum and literature research and supplier search have gone into the magnificent binding. All rock crystal and pearl settings as well as the ornaments on the book fittings (including the clasps) had to be made individually, assembled and finally galvanically gold-plated.
The “ivory panel” in the Gothic style in the middle of the front cover with, among other things, an Annunciation scene was made from a special synthetic resin with mineral pigments and a final finish, analogous to today's usual techniques for professional museum copies Patination created.
The stylistic model for this magnificent binding was the famous one reliquary in book form from the Cleveland Museum of Art.
The book cover ended up going to a very happy and satisfied book cover collector in Germany.
