The binding shown above is found in a 2001 LIBRAIRIE SOURGET - MANUSCRITS ET LIVRES PRECIEUX - CATALOGUE N° XXIII, pages 204-205, lot 67. |
In Comparative Diagram 1, we see in this spine detail, Boyet palette IV, Boyet branches (a) and (b), as well as the scarecrow employed in the same was as we have shown on page 27. In as much as we see branches in the Meudon example it may be that the branches may be linked chronologically to Meudon, while palette IV has been seen on later bindings as well. |
In Comparative Diagram 2, we see more of the usual overlapping of palette XXIII, nowhere have we seen an open space between these palette applications. It would be nice to pin down this palette to some sort of chronological order, seemingly we have encountered an unusually large number of bindings with this palette in the collection of the Comtesse. |
The binding shown above is again found in the 2001 LIBRAIRIE SOURGET - MANUSCRITS ET LIVRES PRECIEUX - CATALOGUE N° XXIII, pages 332-334, lot 120. In this case we know that this binding dates to at least 1709 and is unusual in that the leather has been marbled (MARBLED: stained with a diluted acid to produce the effect of swirling hues). This binding does not have a lot to convince us that it is a Boyet, however the unusual tomb palettes match up with another Comtesse de Verrue binding found in the British Library. |
The binding shown above is found in the British Library Database of bookbindings, shelfmarked c67a3 at the bottom of the spine we see what looks to be the same palette as found on the Cyrano de Bergerac tomb labels. In Comparative Diagram 3, I show an overlay experiment that is only partially successful due to an angular photo and the curvature of the spine in the Bergerac example, however in the main this overlay is quite convincing. This then is yet another Boyet palette that I have catalogued as XXXIV |
The binding shown above is found in a 1997 LIBRAIRIE SOURGET - MANUSCRITS ET LIVRES PRECIEUX - CATALOGUE N° XV, pages 172-173, lot 61. This binding presents the classic spine decoration for la Comtesse de Verrue collection. I have discovered a page on numelyo - bibliothèque numérique de Lyon entitled Verrue, Jeanne Baptiste d'Albert de Luynes comtesse de, 1670-1736 (click here to see it) where they show a similar binding and a full description of her armorial stamps. The main difference is the palette at the base of the spine. I have shown this 1652 Sully example because of the spine palette, it matches the examples above, and is shown below in Comparative Diagram 4, this is another look at palette XXIV. |
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