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I must state here that I searched on the internet for hours and hours looking for Louis Chenu information and or bindings, I found really nothing, then I went through all my files of dentelle bindings that are as yet unidentified and found nothing, then I went through all of Barber's tool illustrations hoping to find a match and found nothing. I had virtually lost hope of being able to present another example of his work. Obviously he did not sign many of his bindings or something would have turned up in an auction somewhere. Then I had a brainwave, that I should have had from the start, knowing that there is likely to be more of the "Traité général des élémens du chant. Dédié à Monseigneur le Dauphin, par M. l'abbé Lacassagne" bindings somewhere, and of course as soon as I Googled it, I came across a brilliant example in the Bibliotheque nationale de France! They apparently do not even know that it is a Chenu binding as they do not have anything about Louis Chenu in their catalogue information shown above nor do they mention him in their list of French bookbinders, and yet here it is, a wonderful high resolution Louis Chenu example in Gallica that we are going explore. Obviously one does not make dentelle bindings with the Royal arms of Louis, Dauphin of France (future King Louis XVI) without being qualified.This work appeared in 1766, shortly after the death of the Dauphin on December 20, 1765. It is dedicated to the new dauphin, future Louis XVI (Upon the death of his father, who died of tuberculosis on 20 December 1765, the eleven-year-old Louis-Auguste became the new Dauphin).
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