German folk art manuscript book containing hand-painted Fraktur. Hardcover 32mo, 129 handwritten red-edged pages with German text, copper plate engraved frontispiece, 9 hand-painted or printed fraktur, some with gold leaf embellishments, and four additional engravings, primarily depicting religious subjects, hardbound in full brown leather with blind stamped borders to covers. Interior of front cover reads "Johannes Grueber und Barbara Grueberin delt en tochfer gufergen angehorig," title page reads "…im tahr 1773". Includes a matching brown leather slipcase. Book: 5 1/2" H x 3 1/2" W x 3/4" D. Slipcase: 6" H x 3 3/4" W x 1" D. Circa 1773.

PROVENANCE: Private Nashville, Tennessee collection.

CONDITION: Covers and slipcase with general wear, age shrinkage, areas of loss, largest 1/2" x 1", to leather. Pages with light toning, handing wear, scuffs, scattered minute foxing spots, some areas of dampstaining to edges, later errant pencil marks to front and back pastedowns. Last approximately twenty pages are becoming separated from binding. Frakturs are loose in book, not bound.