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French Decorative Bookbinding - Eighteenth Century

Pierre Delorme c1774.


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On the previous page we were looking at some rare high resolution images of the decorative tools used by Delorme to decorate a Breviarium sometime around 1764, The binding shown above is covering a 1764 Semaine Sainte (reproduced in the 1929 Gumiuchian Catalogue XII) , and the question is whether this binding was also decorated in 1764. We can see in this binding some of the same tools that were employed in the Breviarium.


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Comparative Diagram 1 - 1764 Breviarium Noviomense vs 1764 Semaine Sainte



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Comparative Diagram 2 - 1764 Breviarium Noviomense palette vs 1764 Semaine Sainte palette



In Comparative Diagram 2, we see that both bindings share the same palette, although there is an important difference in the spine. Derome was widely criticized for binding books without the use of raised bands, deemed by many as an English perversion. We can see that the Breviarium does not have bands, this to may be a significant chronologicaly important difference. But we need not go too far in these speculations as my real purpose on this page was to prepare you for some revelations on the next page, we need first to make a note of the tools found here within the decoration of this Semaine Sainte.


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Comparative Diagram 3 - 1764 Breviarium Noviomense imprint del-8 vs 1764 Semaine Sainte Delorme imprint del-8



As I mentioned on the last page the imprint shown in Comparative Diagram 3, del-8 is one of Derome's favorites that he used for more than 30 years, and a good way to identify his bindings. We were lucky to find such a good clean specimen on the Breviarium, the Semaine saint examples look ancient by comparison, the details are not sharp even though the actual reproduction appears to be quite good.


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Comparative Diagram 4 - 1764 Semaine Sainte Delorme imprint del-8-2.



In Comparative Diagram 4, we see the next most critically important Delorme imprint del-8-2. This imprint actually could be considered a morphed version of Dubuisson's Type 8 thus catalogued as del-8-2. In giving the name of del-8 to the imprintsm in Comparative Diagram 3, broke a few rules however cataloguing Deromes tools is not going to be easy because a good numer of them are Dubuisson tools that will have to remain catalogued as such. Also I have had to reconstruct parts of this del-8-2 imprint model, so it cannot be considered as 100 percent accurate, but anyway, will serve us well on the next page.


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Comparative Diagram 5 - 1764 Semaine Sainte Delorme imprint del-8-3 examples.



In Comparative Diagram 5, we see another important Delorme tool that we are going to run into, I show a number of examples due to the fact that none of the examples are perfect, we can see details in one where they are missing in another, however in general you will not have a problem identifying this imprint.


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click here to see an INDEX of the 2017 pages.

see below links to previous work






Atelier I B 31/10/2014





Icons of the Renaissance 06/02/2014





Atelier au trefle 22/12/2014




Atelier Royal 1518 - 1524 09/11/2014





Unraveling G. D. Hobson's book on fanfares 27/11/2014





16c fanfare on eBay 23/11/2014




another Padeloup binding on eBay 07/12/2014


the last Padeloup fanfare?


Rare Padeloup binding on eBay 15/11/2014



Pierre-Paul Dubuisson's work attributed to Derone le jeune 23/10/2014 (unfinished work now finished)


Pierre-Paul Dubuisson's work attributed to Douceur 22/10/2014 (an under contruction page finished at last)


Louis-Marie Michon - the 1956 Disaster 19/10/2014 (an unfinished page finished at last)


Louis XII Dolphins motif 03/02/2014


Aristophanes Binder 1543 02/02/2014


Atelier des reliures LOUIS XII - Atlas Catalan 12/01/2014


Atelier des reliures LOUIS XII - FRANÇOIS Ier - Linacre bindings 05/01/2014


Atelier des reliures LOUIS XII - FRANÇOIS Ier c. 1500-1520


Atelier des reliures LOUIS XII - FRANÇOIS Ier - Chronology 16/01/2014


Atelier des reliures LOUIS XII - FRANÇOIS Ier - Inventory - binding No. 29 19/01/2014


Atelier des reliures LOUIS XII - FRANÇOIS Ier - Inventory - binding No. 39 19/01/2014


Atelier des reliures LOUIS XII - FRANÇOIS Ier - The mysterious disappearance of François Tissard d'Amboise 23/01/2014


Atelier des reliures LOUIS XII - FRANÇOIS Ier - The Simon Vostre fiasco 18/01/2014


L'Atelier Simon Vostre 1486-1521 01/01/2014


L'Atelier de Pierre Roffet 1511-1533 - TOOL CATALOGUE 26/01/2014


L'Atelier de Pierre Roffet 1511-1533 27/12/2013


Pierre Roffet - fleur-de-lis binder 28/12/2013


Fleur-de-lis Binder 1525-1540 27/11/2013


Du Saix Master 02/12/2013


Atelier Étienne Roffet 1538-1549 12/12/2013


Atelier Jean Picard 1538-1547


Imitative Binder c.1540 15/12/2013


Salel Binder 1540 17/11/2013


Atelier Ruette 1606-1669 INVENTORY


Atelier Macé Ruette 1606-1644


Atelier du Maitre Doreur 1622-1638


Atelier Antoine Ruette 1638-1669


Atelier des Caumartin 1652-1715


Atelier de Charenton 1670-1685


Atelier Luc-Antoine Boyet 1685-1733


Atelier Antoine-Michel Padeloup. dit Le Jeune 1685-1758


Atelier Louis Douceur 1721-1769


Atelier Pierre-Paul Dubuisson 1746-1762


Atelier Nicolas-Denis Derome, dit Derome le Jeune 1761-1788


Atelier Jean-Pierre Jubert, 1771-1793?


Atelier MM binder, 1770-179-?





A word of Caution

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

l.a.miller@mail.pf