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ex-libris THE WORLD OF EX-LIBRIS |
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A historical retrospective 1 EARLY PRINTED EX-LIBRIS 1470-1700 |
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FROM HENRI II TO LOUIS XIV FRENCH BOOKPLATES 1550-1700 The development of ex-libris in France was strongly retarded by the widespread use of supralibros; it is therefore not surprising to see that in the 16th century, with the exception of the former German territories of Alsace and Lorraine, there are practically no French engraved ex-libris to be found, and only a few rare typographical labels. Mme Meyer-Noirel, in her volume L’ex-libris: Histoire, Art, Techniques, published by Picart in 1989, which deals principally with French bookplates, suggests an interesting theory as to the development of ex-libris in Germany and Switzerland rather than supralibros in France and southern Europe: it might relate to the Reformation, which shunned external signs of riches – ex-libris were pasted inside books, and were thus more discreet than supralibros. The problem is that in Britain, also a Protestant country, supralibros also impeded the development of ex-libris, so the matter is open to conjecture. Stylistically, and in comparison with German ex-libris, French ones seem to be more straighforwardly heraldic in the early period, and decorative style does not make its mark until the 1650s. Development of bookplates, after this date, is then fairly closely linked to the general decorative style of each period. |
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1d/1. ? (F)  DéSIRé BUFFET, X1, 46 x 35, c.1558.
Viz. AHS 1903, GMN p. 22 ill. 9.
Certainly one of the ten earliest French bookplates, and perhaps the only non-typographical one. In fact, it is a wood-stamp (chablon), which the owner impressed with an ink pad usually on the reverse of the title-page of his books. The Dijon library has three prints of this plate in books, and it appears that there are only two others in private collections. This one came from the de Rozières collection. |
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1d/2. Léonard Gaultier (F, c.1561-1641) ALEXANDRE
BOUCHART DE BLOSSEVILLE, C2, 200 x 189, 1611.
Viz. Bouchot, ill. p. 32; Hamilton p. 12; GMN p. 73. A print of this rare folio-size ex-libris was found pasted in a copy of the works of Ptolemy (Mercator, Amsterdam, 1605) in the Bibliothèque Nationale. It is the first dated non-typographical French ex-libris. The owner was councillor in the parliament of Rouen and died before 1622; Gaultier was the son of a Paris silversmith and two other ex-libris by his hand are known. Hamilton comments: ‘This engraving is exceedingly valuable on account of its rarity, its early date, the beauty of its design and the simplicity and purity of its heraldry.’ Formerly in the de Rozières collection, it was sold by a Paris bookshop in 1988 for 200 FF. |
1d/3. ? (F) SéBASTIEN GALIGAI, C2, 115 x 98, c.1610.
This plate can be clearly identified and dated by the manuscript inscriptions. Galigai was counsellor and almoner to Louis XIII and to the Queen Regent Marie de Médicis, as well as superior of the Abbey of Marmontier-les-Tours. It is printed on the reverse of a title page of a religious work published in Paris in 1615. It is interesting to note that the crozier is turned towards the outside of the shield, indicating that his jurisdiction extended beyond the territorial limits of his Abbey. The cartouche is typical Louis XIII style. A very similar plate exists for the Canons of St. John of Amiens, perhaps by the same artist. |
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1d/4. ? (F) BRINON, C2, 122 x 117, c.1620.
Viz. Quantin 199., Hamilton p. 70. This plate for a member of the Brinon family might be mistaken for a simple heraldic illustration, commonly done by many engravers at the time, but this print has clear glue marks on the reverse. The artist has not been identified, but could be Gaultier, or another of the engravers of the time with silver engraving practice. |
1d/5. P. Cisteron (F) BESSUéJOULS DE ROQUELAURE, C2,
155 x 124, c.1630. MNRep B 862.
Viz. GMN p. 74.
A collector’s headache. GMN states that there are two plates for members of the Bessuéjouls family by P. Cisteron of Figeac, one of which is illustrated in her book, p. 74 and has exactly the same arms as this one. The other she describes as having the same shield, surrounded by the Order of St. Michael, which fits the description of the plate illustrated here, and was made for Bernardin or his son Antoine Bessuéjouls. However, this one – which came from the Stroehlin collection and on which the collector pencilled ‘rare’ in the top right corner – has an ink inscrip-tion at the bottom with ‘1557 ex-libris’. Normally, such an inscription would allow to date the bookplate as having been made before 1557. One can only deduce, however, that this figure refers to something else than the date, and that it was engraved at least half-a-century later. |
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1D/6. ? (F) ANTOINE DE LA MARE DE CHENEVARIN, C2 + T,
158 x 135, c.1625.
Viz. GMN p. 62, Hamilton p. 71.
An interesting plate, in that the name has been added in letter-press. One of the reasons might be that the coat of arms is somewhat complex, with La Mare’s arms accollé to those of his wife (Croisset impaling Clercy), and might have confused identification. |
1D/7. Nicolas Picart (F, 1587-1664) ABBé DE FLEURY, C2, 96
x 92, c.1630.
Viz. GMN p. 79, ill. p. 64.
Around 1650, Picart was engraver of seals to the King, but it seems likely that this ex-libris was engraved earlier, as its style, though more elaborate than the Galigai, seems naive for a person holding such high office. |
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1d/8. ?Pierre Paillot (F, 1608-1698) ALEXANDRE PÉTAU, C2,
110 x 80, c.1635. Viz. GMN pp.60, 61, 76; Hamilton p. 68, ill p. 69.
One of the small group of 1630-1640 bookplates where the shield rests on a heraldic chequerboard platform. Pétau had a splendid library, and at his death the manuscripts were purchased by Queen Christina of Sweden who bequeathed them to the Vatican. |
1d/9. Roussel (F, † c.1656) AMELOT DE CHAILLON, C2,
159 x 190, c.1640.
During the 1620-1650 period, many engravers signed their plates. However, ex-libris indicating the name of the owner are relatively scarce. This is due to the fact that heraldry was still a common form of identification, and most educated people would recognise coats of arms without difficulty. |
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1d/10. ? (F) LOUIS DE CHATEAUFORT, DIT BRAS-DE-FER, C2,
171 x 145, c.1640.
Viz. GMN p.58; Ham. p. 68; P-M p. 10. This plate occurs in two sizes of which this is the larger, the smaller having heavier mantling and lacking the inscription. As in several ex-libris between 1609 and 1640, the enamels of the shield are indicated by a letter. It was only after the Tesserae gentilitiae of Pietra Santa was published in Rome in 1638, containing a suggested manner of representing enamels with hatchings, that this practice went into decline. Pietra Santa’s ‘codification’ spread like wildfire and was already in use in France before it was disseminated in Vulson’s La Science Héraldique in 1644. This ex-libris was earlier in the Pierre-Henri Lévy collection. |
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1d/11. Jean Picart (F, fl. 1620-1650) ?, C2, 194 x 190,
c.1640.
Viz. GMN p. 75.
Jean Picart engraved eight ex-libris, of which this is undoubtedly one, as it is printed on the reverse of a title page, and such a practice was practically never used except for ex-libris. However the owner of this ex-libris is still to be identified. |
1d/12. Raigniauld (F) LASTIC, C2, 151 x 170, 1644.
Viz. Hamilton p. 72, ill. p. 73. A somewhat coarse but interesting plate by an engraver in Riom, a small town in Auvergne. Its provincial character perhaps explains why the artist did not respect the convention on hatchings. |
1d/13 to 1d/25
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