[CHINA] Album des Familles Lou et Bovy – Album of the families Lou and Bovy – Familien-Album Lou und Bovy – no date

Description

Bruxelles, Phototypie Ernest Thill/U.I.O.G.D., no date (1932/1933?)
Original printed wrappers, 30 x 21 cm, unpaginated, 14 photographs. Text in French/English/German.

Scarce family album on the Lou and Bouvy family. Lou Tseng-Tsiang (1871-1949) married his Belgian spouse Berthe-Françoise-Eugénie Bovy in St Petersburg in 1899 while posted in the Chinese embassy. Lou Tseng-Tsiang later became a postulant at the Benedictine monastery of Sint-Andries in Bruges where he passed away in 1949. The album is printed at the famous Ernest Thill in Brussels. Tipped in is a foldout card with a text in Chinese printed in black and an additional long dedication typed in blue dated 1932-1933, signed in blue by Dom Pierre-Célestin Lou Tseng-Tsiang O.S.B.

A few library holdings in Belgium, possibly one in Germany, else very scarce. Two auction results (both in 2022 and both surpassing the estimate) is all we can trace: once unsigned at Alain & Evelyne Morel de Westgaver for €700 and once signed and dedicated at at Bubb  Kuyper for €600.

A good copy, edges of the wrappers with some small tears. A few of the protective sheets creased.