During the Ancien Régime, the so-called livres de fête (books of festivities) provided textual and visual records of various ceremonies. This large-format copy celebrates the consecration of Louis XV, which took place on 25 October 1722 at Reims Cathedral. Through nine double-page descriptive prints and nine allegorical vignettes, accompanied by texts, the various stages of this ritual are evoked. At the end, a series of prints depicts 30 prominent individuals in ceremonial dress.

Begun in 1722 and edited and presented to the king in 1731, this publication received contributions from members of the royal household and the French academies of arts and letters. This copy has a luxurious morocco binding, with gold tooling on the lace-like border, Louis XV’s coat of arms in the centre and the royal marks at the corners. It was made by Padeloup le Jeune, who would become the king’s bookbinder from 1733 onwards.