French Book-plates Part 14

_Abbe._--A black hat, with a cord on each side, from which hang two rows of black ta.s.sels.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF H. CHABEUF, OF DIJON.]

As a matter of fact, the distinction between the hats of archbishops and of bishops appears not to have been generally observed, as we find on the book-plates of most of the bishops that they carried four rows of ta.s.sels, that is, ten ta.s.sels on each side of their shields. Menestrier admits that the number of ta.s.sels is immaterial, but he lays stress on the colour: "Les chapeaux sont rouges pour les Cardinaux, verts pour les Archeveques et Eveques, noirs pour les Protonotaires, et autres dignitez au dessoux des Eveques." These colours are shown in the usual heraldic manner.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF L. B. BARBIER.]

Here are a few examples of clerical plates. _Caumartin_, a bishop, after whom they have named a street in Paris; _Chabeuf_, a modern bishop of Dijon; _Barbier_, an abbot; and _J. F. Seguret_, a canon of the cathedral church of Alais. The last is an old plate, and is remarkable because it contains no ecclesiastical emblems, the arms and supporters being purely heraldic. The same remarks apply to the plate of the Abbe Quarre de Monay, Canon of Autun, which is dated 1776, and is a characteristic specimen of the plate of the period. Observe the large coronet, the oval shield in a cartouche, the heavy pendent festoons, and the solid square base, all distinctive features of the style Louis XVI.

(See reproduction, page 188.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF CANON SEGURET.]

The plate of Dominique-Barnabe Turgot de Saint Clair, bishop of Seez, dated 1716, is a good example of the ecclesiastical plate of the period, in which the mundane coronet is as conspicuous as the bishop's hat.

Bishop Turgot died on December 18th, 1727, leaving a valuable library, which was sold in Paris in 1730.

The ex-libris of the library of the college of Eu, founded by the Duc de Maine in 1729, may be inserted here, as belonging to an educational establishment. It must be confessed that the plate has a very warlike appearance, for it carries the arms of the founder of the college, Louis Auguste de Bourbon, Duc de Maine, who was Captain-General of the Artillery, hence the warlike devices which surround the pedestal. Being a Bourbon, his arms were France, debruised by a baton.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF BISHOP BARNABAS TURGOT.]

The plate is an interesting example of the artistic regularity which marks the early period of Louis XV. (See next page.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF THE COLLEGE OF EU.]

The armorial plate of the Abbe de Bourbon-Rothelin shows by its inescutcheon, and its supporters, that the owner was a descendant of the royal house of Bourbon. Charles d'Orleans, Abbe de Rothelin, a son of Henri d'Orleans, Marquis de Rothelin, was born August 5, 1691, and died July 17, 1744. He was an ardent collector of medals, books, and ma.n.u.scripts, and was esteemed one of the most learned men of his day. At his death, his library, which was especially rich in early theological works, was sold and dispersed, but his collection of medals was acquired entire for the museum of the Escurial. (See reproduction, page 187.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF M. LE CURe DUBUT.]

The arms, stamped on the sides of the books bound for him resembled those on his ex-libris, but without the columns in the background.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF THE ABBe DE GRICOURT, 1750.]

A very large ecclesiastical plate is that of Franciscus Trista.n.u.s de Cambon: Episcopus Mirapiscensis. This plate is in the best style of the early period of Louis XVI., and is signed _J. Mercadier. Inv. et sculp._ The shield is surmounted by the coronet of a count, over which is the bishop's hat.

The plate of Archambault is a handsome specimen of the work of Sergent, signed "Sergent scul. Carnuti." The date is very faint, but appears to be 1773.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF D'ARCHAMBAULT.]

"Affaires du Clerge" on the open book, the tables with the commandments, the mitre and crozier, sufficiently indicate that the owner of the plate was connected with the Church.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATES OF J. A. LE MERCIER.]

_Des Livres de M. Dubut_ is the t.i.tle of the pretentious book-plate of the Cure de Viroflay, signed Le Roy, and dated 1782.

Here we have the arms of this pious son of the Church going straight to Paradise on a thunder-cloud, under the protection of two rather mundane-looking ladies. The world, the flesh, and--but no--the cross of St. Louis in the background prevents the completion of the trio. (See page 181.)

In a somewhat similar style of thunder-cloud decoration is the dated plate of the Abbe de Gricourt, already referred to.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF THE REV. FATHER INGOLD.]

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 ownership 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.