| The Memoirs of Messire Michel de Castelnau, Lord of Mauvissière. Illustrated and augmented by several commentaries and manuscripts, both Letters, Instructions, Treat, and other secret and original pieces used to give the truth of the History of the reigns of Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III, and the regency and the government of Catherine de Medici. With the praises of kings, queens, princes and other illustrious persons of both religions under these three reigns, and the genealogical history of the house of Castelnau, by J. Le Laboureur. |
| The photograph of the binding shown above could be found on Abebooks when it was for sale for US$ 9,182.07, I have attempted to translate (roughly) the booksellers notes below... |
|
P a r i s P i e r r e L a m y 1 6 5 9 2 v o l s . f o l i o o f ( 2 4 ) - 9 0 7 p p . 8 1 - ( 1 ) p p . p o o r l y n u m b e r e d ( 1 2 ) p p . t a b l e , 2 e n g r a v e d p o r t r a i t s ; ( 2 ) - 9 0 9 p p . ( 2 ) - 1 2 5 p p . ( 1 2 ) p p . t a b l e , e n g r a v e d p o r t r a i t , g l a z e d t a w n y c a l f , b a c k a d o r n e d w i t h n e r v e s , t i t l e p i e c e i n g r e e n m o r o c c o , t r i p l e filet f r a m i n g t h e boards , crowned rombus a n d f i s h i n the board corners , armorial stamps o n t h e boards , guilded edges ( b o u n d around 1 7 2 0 ) .
This is the f i r s t e d i t i o n w i t h s u p p o r t i n g d o c u m e n t s b y J e a n L e L a b o u r e u r e n r i c h e d g e n e a l o g i e s o f t h e M a i s o n C a s t e l n a u t h a t were not in t h e o r i g i n a l e d i t i o n o f 1 6 2 1 p u b l i s h e d b y J a c q u e s d e C a s t e l n a u , s o n o f M i c h e l . P o r t r a i t s o u t o f t e x t o f J a c q u e s a n d M i c h e l d e C a s t e l n a u ( t h i s l a s t r e p e a t e d ) , v i g n e t t e o f e n g r a v e d t i t l e a n d m o r e t h a n 3 0 0 b l a z o n s e n g r a v e d i n i n t a g l i o i n t h e t e x t : i n v o l u m e I , G e n e a l o g i c a l h i s t o r y o f t h e H o u s e o f C a s t e l n a u , i n v o l u m e I I G e n e a l o g i e s o f s e v e r a l h o u s e s a l l i e d t o t h a t o f C a s t e l n a u . A f t e r t a k i n g p a r t i n t h e n e g o t i a t i o n s o f 1 5 5 9 , M i c h e l d e C a s t e l n a u ( 1 5 2 0 - 1 5 9 2 ) w a s s e n t t o S c o t l a n d , G e r m a n y a n d E n g l a n d w h e r e h e w a s a m b a s s a d o r f r o m 1 5 7 5 t o 1 5 8 5 ; h e t o o k p a r t i n t h e e v e n t s w h i c h o c c u r r e d b e t w e e n 1 5 5 9 a n d 1 5 7 0 , w h i c h h e r e c o r d e d i n h i s m e m o i r s f o r t h e i n s t r u c t i o n o f h i s s o n , w i t h o u t i d e a o f p u b l i c a t i o n . "T h e r o l e p l a y e d b y t h e a u t h o r , h i s r e l a t i o n s w i t h t h e p r i n c i p a l c h a r a c t e r s , a n d f i n a l l y h i s r e a l m o d e r a t i o n g i v e h i s j u d g m e n t s a c e r t a i n s t r e n g t h" . ( H a u s e r ) Ruled copy with l a r g e m a r g i n s , t h e a r m s o f C o u n t C h a r l e s - H e n r i d ' H o y m , a m b a s s a d o r t o F r a n c e o f A u g u s t u s I I , E l e c t o r o f S a x o n y a n d K i n g o f P o l a n d , a n d t h e armories o f t h e h o u s e R o h a n - C h a b o t (crowned diamonds and fish ) . T h e m e e t i n g o f t h e s e t w o p r o v e n a n c e s o n t h e s a m e b i n d i n g i s u n k n o w n t o O l i v i e r - H e r m a l - R o t o n . " T h e E a r l o f H o y m w a s o n e o f t h e m o s t f a m o u s b i b l i o p h i l e s , w h o f o r m e d w i t h p a s s i o n f r o m 1 7 1 7 t o 1 7 3 5 , a r i c h c o l l e c t i o n a n d e s p e c i a l l y i n l e t t e r s a n d h i s t o r y . H e h a d h i s v o l u m e s were bound b y B o y e t i n t a w n y c a l f s k i n o r m o r o c c o , w i t h h i s arms o n t h e boards a n d t h e P o l i s h e a g l e o n t h e spine . V e r y p a l e L a t i n h a n d w r i t t e n i n s c r i p t i o n i n t h e i n k o f t h e t i m e i n t h e l o w e r m a r g i n o f t h e t i t l e p a g e ( v o l u m e 1 ) . E x - l i b r i s " M . d e K e r n i e r " . N i c e c o p y . D i s c r e t e r e s t o r a t i o n s , o l d l a b e l s g l u e d t o t h e b a c k , s m a l l d a r k c i r c l e s o n t h e p l a t e s , s m a l l s c u f f s o n V o l u m e 2 . C a t a l o g o f t h e l i b r a r y o f C o u n t H o y m ( 1 7 3 8 ) , N o . 3 5 5 ; B r u n e t I , 1 6 2 6 ; S a f f r o y I I I , 3 7 9 8 2 ; H a u s e r I I I , 1 4 2 1 ; O l i v i e r - H e r m a l - R o t o n , p l a t e 6 7 2 a n d p l a t e 2 0 3 4 - 9 . |
|
He estimates that this volume may have been executed around 1720, however the additional arms of Rohan-Chabot complicates things somewhat, however if you seach for "macles et chabots couronnés alternés aux angles" you find a few bindings with these crowned diamonds and fish in the corners... "Louis-Antoine de Rohan-Chabot, sixième duc de Rohan (1733-1807), lieutenant général des armées du roi. Émigré de 1790 à 1792, il entretint une correspondance avec Madame du Barry (macles et chabots couronnés alternés aux angles)". (click here to see this) "Exemplaire aux armes des Rohan Chabot, certainement suivant la date de l'édition, de Louis-Antoine de Rohan-Chabot, dit le chevalier de Rohan. 2 macles et deux chabots couronnés dans les angles" (click here to see this) In all these cases the appearence of these armories arrive at a later period therefore it is more likely that these were added to the binding after comte d'Hoym owned it. Thus a 1720 date still in the ballpark. |
| In Comparative Diagram 1, we see this binding compared with a binding that we looked at on page 16, you will see that even with the low resolution of this binding the central fleuron in the spine panels is the same (No. 16). On page 16, I pointed out a few things that could indicate that fleuron 16 was perhaps from 1688 or earlier, however there are a few things that are different here in the decoration of the spine panels and when I looked at the corners it suddenly dawned on me that here was another corner decoration that matched my 1698 Breviarium! |
| In Comparative Diagram 2, we can see that the corners of these two panels are the same however there are many differences otherwise, the most troubling is the framing palette/roulettes, in all of these pages and all of my Boyet research I have never encountered any thing like these 1698 Breviarium framing roulettes. |
| There is another detail that this binding may have in common with the Breviarium it is the palette at the bottom of the spine, it is only just barely dicernible, as shown in Comparative Diagram 4, click on the diagram to see an enlargement. On the next page we are going to make some exciting discoveries that will finally enable us solve the mystery of the 1698 Breviarium. |
|
click here to return to the HOME page. click here to see an 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. |
| Virtual Bookings, created by L. A. Miller | return to the Home page of VIRTUAL BOOKBINDINGS |