Late Seventeenth-Century Prayer Book by Louis Senault

Louis Senault (1630–ca. 1680).
Heures nouvelles tirées de la Sainte ecriture.
Paris: Louis Senault and Claude de Hansy, [after 1690]. (BRB 0993)

Louis Senault was a professional calligrapher who followed Pierre Moreau’s example and produced both writing books and devotional works. First issued as Heures nouvelles dédiées à Madame la Dauphine in 1680, the present work was reprinted from the same copper plates but with a new title and the omission of the dedication page following the death of the dedicatee. In his use of letterforms and decorative elements, Senault was able to produce in printed form the appearance of a contemporary manuscript prayer book.