Prelate's coat of arms

Dominates the centre of the two covers of the liturgical book, covered in burgundy velvet, the coat of arms of Gioacchino de Gemmis, appointed archpriest of Altamura by King Ferdinand IV in 1783. The weapon of the prelate, made of cast silver, engraved and framed, reproduces in the first and fourth quadrant three flowers with rosette and a staircase inclined to the right - heraldic symbol of the family de Gemmis - interspersed with a band; in the second and third compartment an ox, indicating patience and docility. The plate has a multilinear shape with a thin scroll decoration and curled sheets; it ends with a crown richly adorned with elements that resume the frieze of the artefact. Observing the coat of arms there are small differences compared to other reproductions of the same that can be considered a personal interpretation of the master silversmith; an example is the slope to the left of the staircase. The brand of Neapolitan art is present on the edge of both images, even if not readable. The binding contains a Roman Missal published in Naples in 1799 by Tipografia Simoniana. Considering the period of the archpriesthood of Monsignor de Gemmis (1783 - 1818) and the year of publication of the missal, we can place the realization of the silver artefact in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.