| The reproduction shown above is from the catalogue Manuscrits Enlumines et Livres Precieux Catalogue XXI, 2000, Sourget, P & E, Published by Librairie Sourget, 2000. This is item 169 on page 418, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this, yet another 1751 Erasme , in a Plumet binding. I just began extracting the imprints when I discovered something that was totally unexpected, down on the bottom left side there appears to be a signature. No mention of this is found in the extensive catalogue information so this is a real mystery. |
| In the last few pages we have shown conclusive proof that these Plumet bindings are all linked by identical imprints, so if we find a signature it should be that of Plumet, I looked at this for a long time without finding anything that really confirms, that this is a signature and or that it is Plumet's signature. The white lettering is an attempt to compare the observed with the expected. It would of course be wonderful if this is Plumet's signature, that no one has ever noticed, however a close examination of the imprints reveals some new tools and some of these could be called Fetil tools... could this be instead an R. Fetil signature? |
| There are two distinctly Fetil imprints found on this binding, I show them in black and white in Comparative Diagram 2. In this version of the Plumet Erasmus bindings, we find quite a few imprint pairs that we have not seen before, as well as the large floral wreath that shows up in the late Douceur period (1760?) In as much as it shows up here and in the BnF binding that we looked at on page 3, it may be time to wonder if this is a Plumet tool and not a Douceur tool? For now we can catalogue it a p-4-3, shown in Comparative Diagram 3. Here again we have to remember that Barber catalogued every Douceur imprint that he came across as well as those of Fetil, we can be sure that he considered himself an expert when it comes to the tools of Douceur. The fact that he did not catalogue these imprint pairs shown in this Plumet binding stands as proof that these are not Douceur tools. Even if we see some of these tools in the late Douceur bindings. |
| I am not going to go too far in an analysis of these imprints, but instead, on the next page I am going to show you a binding that may change your mind about everything. |
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| 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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