A north Italian gold-tooled and red morocco leather book-form missal box. Probably Milan, second quarter 16th century, made for Renée of France

MISSAL BOX. A red morocco gilt missal box in the form of a book, for Renata di Francia, Duchess of Ferrera, Northern Italy, sixteenth-century

28.2 by 21.5 by 8 cm 

The upper and lower covers red morocco richly gilt, with two roll-tooled borders containing Greek and Latin mottos between them, the upper cover lettered “EΛΠIZΩ META TOV XPONOV” and “VITA MEA SPES ET FIDES MAGIS VNIQVAM PLVRIBVS” and the lower cover lettered “VOTO NIL LIBERALIVS SPES ALTRIX MISERVM” and “VIRTVS CLARA DOMI NABITVR ASTRIS ADERIT ET TANDEM VOCATVS IVPITER”, on both covers framing a lozenge containing a six-point star with lettering “RENEA DE FRANZA” , inside the star a carnation in a diamond ring and above and below it flaming vases, studs on both covers, one as the catch, spine with three bands, the interior of the upper cover red morocco tooled in blind, with roll-tooled outer borders, lettered “SVSTINE ET ABSTINE”, “TV DEA TV PRESENS NRO SVCCVRRE LABORI”, “PATIENTIA DVRIS IMPERAT”, “DOMINE QVID VIS?E FACERE”, inner roll-tooled border containing six-point star in blind with winged angel-heads and gilt Virgin and Child within gilt mandorla, the interior of the remainder of the box red morocco tooled in blind with roll-tooled borders and a trellis pattern containing fleur-de-lys, three sides painted gold and tooled to imitate gilt and gauffered book edges, upper joint cracking, slight rubbing and scraping to lower cover

The Virgin and Child and flaming vase tools are similar but not identical to that on De Marinis II, plate CCXV (MS, Bologna, 1520). The same flaming vase tools are also found on plate CCXVII (Bologna, 1519).

Renata di Francia (or Renée de France; 1510–1575), whose name is lettered on this book-form box, was Duchess of Ferrara between 1534 and 1559 through her marriage to Ercole II d’Este (1508–1559). She was the youngest surviving child of Louis XII and Anne of Brittany. Renata di Francia is perhaps best known for her support for the Protestant Reformation. She had met Calvin in 1536 and the two remained in contact. She also showed great hospitality to French suspects of heresy, such as Louis du Tillet, sheltering them from prosecution in Ferrara and other residences. Eventually, in 1554, her Catholic husband, Duke Ercole, involved the Inquisitor Ortiz, and she was condemned as a heretic. The majority of her books were burned, but some were left behind in Italy when Renata left for Montargis in the Loire Valley after the death of her husband in 1559. These then became part of the Este library. 

Provenance: Renata di Francia (or Renée de France), Duchess of Ferrara (1510–1575), a large part of her library left with — Este library, Ferrera — Bernard Breslauer (1918–2004), sale, Christie’s New York, 17 May 2005, lot 344 (lots 321–347 identified as the property from the estate of Dr. Bernard Breslauer). References: Domenico Fava, La biblioteca Estense nel suo sviluppo storico. Con il catalogo della mostra permanente e 10 tavole (Modena, 1925), pp. 126–129