Part 14 (2/2)
The plates of J. A. Le Mercier show that at first over his arms he bore the coronet of a count, but that later on, probably during the revolutionary period, he had that erased to make way for a meaningless finial ornament, on the lower half of which the back part of the coronet can still be seen.
A modern addition to the French literature on book-plates is a sixteen-page pamphlet, ent.i.tled, _Les Ex-Libris Oratoriens_, published in 1892 by Charles Poussielgue, in the Rue Ca.s.sette, Paris.
[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF THE LIBRARY OF THE METROPOLITAN CHURCH OF LORRAINE.]
This is a brief sketch of some ecclesiastical ex-libris, written by a priest, the Rev. Father Ingold, of L'Hay, near Paris. The pamphlet contains some facsimile ill.u.s.trations, of which three are reproductions of exquisite plates designed by M. Claude Thiery, of Nancy. These are the plates of the library of the Oratory of Tours, of the library of the Ma.s.sillon School, and lastly that of the author, Father Ingold, said to be copied from an original miniature, dated 1466. The Ingold family was of Alsatian origin, and the plate is essentially German in its design, the helmet being surmounted by the characteristic proboscis.
[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF L'ABBe DE BOURBON-ROTHELIN, 1691-1744.]
This artist, Claude Thiery, who died in 1895, excelled in small delicate hand-work, full of minute detail, in the manner of Callot; his own ex-libris is an admirable specimen of his style. A facsimile of it is given as a frontispiece to Henri Bouchot's _Les Ex-Libris_. It represents a fifteenth-century student at work amongst his books, with the inscription: ”Cestuy livre est a moy Claude Thiery, ymaigier du moult hault et puissant seigneur Monseigneur Francois Joseph Empereur.”
[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF L'ABBe QUARRe DE MONAY.]
By permission of Father Ingold a few of his ill.u.s.trations of clerical ex-libris are inserted here, namely, those of Quiqueran de Beaujeu, of Joan de Montmeau, of Francois Jannart, and the simple little stamp ill.u.s.trated below, which was used by the priests for marking the books in their own collection in the College of Lyons.
Father Ingold complains, however, that in most of the ancient abbeys and monasteries in France the officials who had charge of the books were content simply to inscribe the name of the establishment in MS. on the t.i.tle-pages, and did not use book-plates. He gives a long list of these inscriptions (all in Latin), some of which contain allusions to interesting historical and bibliographical facts; but as all these entries are _written_ in, they cannot be considered ex-libris in the sense that we attach to the expression.
[Ill.u.s.tration:
EX BIBLIO PRIVAT A.
COLLEGYI ORATOR LUGD
A work of the greatest utility to those interested in the study of ecclesiastical book-plates is the ”Catalogue des Incunables de la Bibliotheque Publique de Besancon,” par Auguste Castan. This was a posthumous book, published in 1893, by J. Dodivers, Grande Rue, Besancon.
The author was Conservateur de la Bibliotheque de Besancon, a position which gave him ample opportunities for the pursuit of bibliographical studies, to which he devoted his life. The library of Besancon is particularly rich in unique early printed books, and in MSS. It contains no less than 985 volumes or pamphlets, printed during the fifteenth century, amongst which are examples of the rarest works from the early printing offices of Germany, Italy, France, and Switzerland.
[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF J. F. JANNART.]
These are all fully described by Mons. Castan, who gives biographical accounts of their printers, the watermarks on their paper, their bindings, notes concerning their former owners, and, what is more to our purpose, descriptions of the ex-libris found in them.
Of these there appear to be about 500, all being carefully indexed, but the confusing French practice is adopted of including ma.n.u.script entries of owners.h.i.+p amongst what we term book-plates.
[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF JOAN DE MONTMEAU.]
Several fine old armorials are reproduced, such as those of the ”Bibliotheques des Grands-Carmes de Besancon, Claud Boisot Canon Cantoris Maj. Bisuntini Prioris Commen De Calce 1749.” (Two varieties.) Nameless armorial of Laurent Chiflet, and a few typographical ”Ex Bibliotheca” and book-stamps. The plate inscribed ”Bibliotheque des Grands-Carmes de Besancon” is one of the reproductions; it was found in a folio, printed in Venice, dated 1481, in which was also a written inscription ”fr. B. Bouchier, Conventus Vallenceynarum 1522”--by which was meant the Convent of the Carmelites at Valenciennes. (See next page.)
[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF THE CARMELITES OF BESANcON.]
[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF DR. FRANcOIS ROBERT SECOUSSE.]
Those who have been educated in France will remember the solemn annual distribution of prizes. The preparations that were made for weeks beforehand; the erection of the grand stand in the courtyard of the college for the authorities and visitors; the excitement of the day itself; the arrivals of the proud mothers and sisters; the stately procession of the princ.i.p.al, the under princ.i.p.als, the professors, and last of all, the poor, wretched, badgered _pions_ (resident cla.s.s masters) up to the entrance to receive the Prefet of the Department and his staff, resplendent in court dresses stiff with gold embroidery; the prosy speeches, full of plat.i.tudes and truisms, addressed to the four or five hundred youngsters simmering in the August sun in closely b.u.t.toned-up military uniforms; the report of the princ.i.p.al that the conduct of all had been most exemplary, with other stereotyped phrases equally stale and devoid of truth; and then the solemn march up of the successful prize-winners, and their return laden with books (destined never to be read), gorgeously bound in purple and gold, or blue and silver. In each book was carefully inserted a book-plate, giving the name of the _lycee_, or college, the date, name of prize-winner, and nature of the examination.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
[Ill.u.s.tration: PRIZE LABEL OF DIEPPE COLLEGE.]
The custom is so universal, and has been so long established, both in lay and clerical seminaries, that no cla.s.s of book-plates is so common in France as these.
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