Description
Set of 2 Antique Italian Booklets, dating early 1800s, covered with hand-printed Domino Papers, Religious Content.
Set of 2 antique Italian religious books from the early 1800s, both covered in hand-printed Domino paper. The larger book, dated 1820 and printed in Rome, is titled “Suggerimenti Ascetici per indirizzo dell’anima alla perfezione.” It features a Domino paper cover with a stylized floral design in terracotta, pink, yellow, brown, white, and dark green on a green background.
The smaller booklet, titled “Un libretto ed un Tesoro Ossia La Figlia Divota di Gesù Sacramentato,” is dated 1865 and covered in Domino paper with floral and berry designs in red and green on a beige background.
Dimensions
Larger book: 6 1/4″ x 3 3/4″, 1″ thick (15.5 cm x 9.5 cm, 2.5 cm thick)
Smaller book: 4 5/8″ x 3 1/4″, 1/16″ thick (12 cm x 8.3 cm, 3 mm thick)
Condition
Larger book: Highly worn with some small missing parts on the cover and the first few pages.
Smaller book: Good condition.
History of “Domino” Paper
A precursor to modern wallpaper, Domino papers were produced modestly and cheaply compared to marbled papers and were used as coverings for various furnishings and book covers while manuscripts awaited binding. They often featured geometric or floral patterns and became fashionable among the upper classes around the 18th century. Domino paper production eventually spread to Britain and Italy, notably by the famous Remondini factory in the Republic of Venice, in Bassano del Grappa, active from 1660 to 1860. The success of Remondini led to the decline of the French counterpart industry.
Domino printed paper is a decorated paper with patterns printed using a woodblock, with colors applied by brush or stencil. In France, these decorated paper sheets peaked in popularity in the second half of the 18th century. At the same time, other countries had their specific printing methods, making their mark in substantial volumes of decorated paper. Germany preferred copper-plate printing, producing ‘gold embossed’ paper. Italy used multiple woodblocks, producing intricate, richly colored paper.
Domino printed paper was produced by artisan ‘dominotiers,’ who sometimes also made playing cards (cartiers) or images (fabricants d’images). Domino paper was used to decorate interiors of boxes, drawers, and small furniture items, mainly for covering books and brochures. Printed paper with large floral patterns often reproduced designs from brocade, Cordoba leather, and Indian fabrics. They were designed as wallpaper, producing a continuous, repetitive pattern when assembled side by side.
