| In September of 2010 I uploaded a page to cyclopaedia.org detailing a collection of Dubuisson allover design bookbindings. on that page I included the notes from Norbert Donhofer Antiquariat, concerning a binding decorated with the arms of Louis Joseph Xavier, Duke of Burgundy, this can still be found today in his new online catalogue (see this) along with a better reproduction of item 53 that I have reproduced below. |
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Given the fact that these bindings with the coat-of-armes of Louis Joseph Xavier de France, Duc de Bourgogne, brother of Louis XVI are so rare, with only 5 known examples I decided to try to find them. The source of this information comes from "Olivier" we often see this reference although not everyone knows who this is. This is a reference to: Manual de l'amateur de reliures amoriées françaises by Olivier, Eugne (1868-1955) Georges HERMAL and R. DE ROTON (b. 1885). I found a good description of this set of books by James Cummins (see this): |
| Paris: Ch. Bosse, 1938 with 2,685 "planches," many extending to several leaves, reproducing some 10,000 armorial stamps, white on black. 4to (270 x 214 mm). Guide to French Armorial Bindings. The most elaborate and comprehensive armorial and biographical dictionary of French armigerous book collectors down to the twentieth century (e.g. Lacroix-Laval), including some foreigners connected with French history and culture (e.g. Lord Stuart de Rothesay) and Frenchmen who became rulers, or their consorts, of foreign countries (Bourbon - Spain, Beradotte - Sweden); French sovereigns, princes of the blood, and their relatives, are separately treated (vols. 25-29). The work is an essential supplement to a French national biography. Of the 2,685 "planches," 141 reproduce unidentified arms, though some of these are identified in the preface to the Index, some others reproduce the arms of cities etc., the vast majority the various versions of coats-of-arms used on the bindings of their owners, whose succinct biographies are given in every case. Thus, the "planche" of J.A. de Thou reproduces his nine different armorial stamps, those of Marquis La Croix de Castries seventeen, of Louis XIV twenty-five, of Louis XV thirty-one, of Napoléon I nineteen. The title of the book, on the binding of which a particular version of the owner's arms is found, is given in full, together with its present or recent whereabouts. The work is arranged according to the fundamental heraldic configurations: bandes and barres (bends and bars), chevrons, croix (saltire), meubles (charges), and made accessible by an elaborate index volume. |
| Norbert Donhofer mentions as well the 1921 catalogue of Eugene von Wassermann (1921, item 1146). There is also another Wassermann catalogue from 1913 with the same item reproduced as number 959. This is a reproduction by Ets. Jean Malvaux the most dynamic and best performing Belgian studio in the area of photomechanical printing processes at the beginning of the 20th century. I show this below. |
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The third example of these arms of Louis Joseph Xavier de France, Duc de Bourgogne we have detailed on the previous page and I show it in the diagram at the top of the page. Searching the internet with Google I have uncovered another example of these arms, although I do not know yet whether this is one of the 5 mentioned by Olivier. Not surprisingly however this is another binding by Dubuisson although not an allover design, but rather one of his plaques. The printing dates to 1757 and binding was possibly executed prior to the three allover design examples. |
| Below I show the details for lot 12 from a 2018 auction by Varenne Encheres unfortunately a picture of this item was not shown. This is most probably the binding mentioned in Norbert Donhofer's notation; Cordlandt Bishop (V,225). From the description we know that this was not an allover design binding. |
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Many thanks to Pierre Calvet for sending me this example of these armes from Joannis Guigard's 1890 Nouvel Armorial de bibliophile : Guide de l'amateur des livres armoriés page 51. On the next page we will return to some important details from our 1759 Dubuisson "dentelle à l'oiseau". |
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click here to return to the HOME page. click here to see the INDEX of the 2017 pages. see below links to previous work |
| Even experts are sometimes wrong, before you spend thousands on a book, please do your own research! Just because I say a certain binding can be attributed to le Maitre isn't any kind of guarantee, don't take my word for it, go a step further and get your own proof. In these pages I have provided you with a way of doing just that. |
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