The elaborate decorative gold tooling of the binding shown above has not been accomplished by the application of many small individual tools, but instead, has been imprinted by the use of a single large plate or 'plaque'. The idea of gold tooling by plaque had been around for centuries yet only became a successful venture around the mid 18th century when Rene Dubuisson and his son Pierre-Paul revived the process to mass produce decorated almanacs.
This example is found on Plate 36 of the 1910 Paris publication entitled LIVRES DANS DE RICHES RELIURES by Édouard Rahir.
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