Antique 1840s French First Communion Certificate | Précieux Souvenir | Steel Engraving with Angels | Signed by the Curé

A large and finely detailed French First Communion certificate of the 1840s, printed from a richly ornamented steel engraving and completed by hand for a young communicant.

A banner held by two haloed angels at the top reads “Précieux Souvenir” (“A precious keepsake”), beneath a sheaf of wheat – a symbol of the Eucharistic bread. Gothic side panels show the radiant Host above a chalice amid clouds and cherubs, and two angels with harps stand guard below, framed by vines and bunches of grapes.

The central scene is set in a soaring Gothic church: a priest gives Holy Communion at the altar rail, assisted by clergy and servers with candles and a processional cross, while girls in long white veils and boys in dark jackets kneel along the communion cloth.

The cartouche beneath reads “… a fait sa 1ère communion dans l’Église de … le … du mois de … de l’année 184…”, completed by hand in ink that has faded with time: the name appears to be Adolphe, the date the 9th day of the month (possibly September) of a year in the 1840s. The certificate is signed below by the curé.

Details

• Type: engraved and hand-completed First Communion certificate
• Origin: France
• Date: 1840s
• Language: French
• Size: approx. 18 × 26.5 cm (7.1 × 10.4 in)
• Condition: fair to good; the engraving is crisp, but the handwritten entries are much faded and only partly legible; old folds with surface cracking, a tear at the right edge, spotting and toning, mainly on the reverse

A beautiful example of 19th-century French devotional printmaking, ideal for framing. The item you receive is the exact one pictured.