Manuscript presented to Pope Pius IX by the Collegio Romano after his election to the Papacy.
 
210pp. Folio. Handwritten in Latin, Greek, Hebrew and English, each page with elaborate decorative Papal borders printed in gilt or black. A near fine copy, incredibly attractive and the binding generally very well preserved.
 
With: A framed original illustration of a dedication to Pope Pius IX, hand-painted and illuminated on vellum by Hercule Louis Catenacci. 255 x 195mm. Lettered in red ink and gilt to the centre, “Pio IX Orbis Catholicus”. An ornamental frame, decorated with saints, with the Vatican illustrated above it, and world landmarks illustrated within it. Signed and dated by the artist “H. Catenacci Pinxit 1867”.
 
An exquisite manuscript presented to Pope Pius IX by the Collegio Romano after his election to the Papacy.
 
The manuscript was presented to Pius in July 1847 by the College, which was the home of the Company of Jesuits in Rome. Each of the Provinces of the Order were invited to contribute an entry to the volume, which has produced a testament the the Orbis Catholicus. Four entries come from North America, and contributions come too from the Middle East, North Africa, South America and across Europe.
 
PROVENANCE: Pope Pius IX (1792-1878), written for him and bound in his Papal Binding.