| The reproduction shown above is found in a 1996 LIBRAIRIE SOURGET - MANUSCRITS ET LIVRES PRECIEUX - CATALOGUE N° XIII. Below in Comparative Diagram 1, we see 4 binding examples, the last is found on a 1775 publication. You will notice that these bindings share a number of common tools that have been employed in exactly the same way. The corner imprint is the same in all examples, yet the bindings shown here at the at the top of the page are covering 1756 publication. First I want to show that these are indeed imprints that derive from the original tools of Douceur. |
| On a page that I made several years ago I reproduced an important binding that concerns these Douceur imprints, (click here to see it). In Comparative Diagram 2, I have reproduced a corner detail from this binding (No. 97) and added comparative examples of Douceur imprints that assure us that this is indeed a binding from the workshops of Louis Douceur. We do not know when binding No. 97 was made however the imprints found here are the common imprints of Douceur in the early and mid 50's. |
| What I want to draw your attention to, is the imprint that Barber catalogued as DCT 41 shown in Comparative Diagram 3. It may be that Louis Douceur only started using this tool in the mid 50's I did not see it earlier, however it later becomes a common part of Douceur's bindings. Becomming a kind of signature tool that was popular with many binders of this period. The Douceur example has a strange mixure of irregularities that make it easy to recognize, particularly the flattend end of the left arm (A), the off center insertion of the stem into the base (B) and the mid left side protrusion smaller than its counterpart on the right (C). The general lack of symmetry all add up to an easily recognizable Douceur tool that would be difficult to copy. |
| I catalogued many of Louis Douceur's tools several years ago, including Barber's DCT 41 that is catalogued as d-2, for simplicity here we can refer to it as DCT 41. You will notice in Comparative Diagram 1, that I have found an example in a binding that dates to 1775. The Bibliotheque Nationale de France, gives a very brief bibliography of Louis Douceur (click here to see it). They state that Douceur retired in 1766 and passed away in 1769, therefore the use of Douceur's tools in 1775 results in what we might call post Douceur bindings. |
| In Comparative Diagram 5, we see again the critical imprints, the corner d-12 and the central d-2, however I have included the 1775 imprint to show that it is the same as the 232 example, Barber catalogued a number of tools like this but not particular model. On the next page we are going to explore in depth the 1775 binding. |
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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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