French Book-plates Part 16

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF DUMONT DE VALDAJOU.]

Even more curious is the design (wretchedly engraved) on the plate, inscribed _J. B. Swett_. The owner was Dr. J. Barnard Swett of New Buryport, Ma.s.s.; and no doubt the plate was engraved in America about 120 years ago, or even earlier.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF JOS. PHILIP GRUMET, M.D.]

Here indeed the ludicrous element comes in, for though the dead body is present, the whole design is so quaintly bad that it is impossible to criticise it with any severity. All the usual emblems of medical science are present in this plate, which was reproduced on p. 289 of Mr. C. D.

Allen's "American Book-plates."

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF JOS. MAR. AMA. CORREARD, M.D.]

J. C. Harrer, M.D., also had a skeleton, accompanied by books, pots of ointment, etc., whilst Daniel Chodowiecki, the celebrated engraver, signed a plate, dated 1792, for one C. S. Schinz, Med. Dr., in which the design is of a sensational character, meant to proclaim the healing powers of the owner. "In the foreground (I quote Lord de Tabley, not having the plate myself) aesculapius is pushing out a skeleton draped in a long white sheet, with a scythe across its shoulder. The G.o.d is st.u.r.dily applying his serpent-twined staff to the somewhat too solid back of this terrible phantom. Behind, and beneath a kind of pavilion, lies a sick person in bed, his hands upraised in silent thankfulness."

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF ALPHEI CAZENAVE, M.D.]

This Schinz was probably a German, although he might have belonged to the north-east frontier of France, but we will now turn our attention to plates which undoubtedly belonged to French medical men.

_Dumont de Valdajou_ Chirurgien carries arms, perhaps specially granted, for he boldly proclaims below his shield "Brevete du Roy," but even that would not excuse him in the eyes of a strict king of arms for a.s.suming as supporters two angels, a distinction officially reserved for the French Royal family alone.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF MONS. R. WILLEMET.]

Another armorial plate is that of Jos. Philip: Grumet; above the shield shows the badge of aesculapius, an attribute common to many medical book-plates.

But why Dr. Correard should have appropriated not only the general design, but also the actual arms on this shield, is a mystery; indeed, it is not easy to decide which of these two plates is the actual original.

Colin, graveur de feu Roy de Pologne, as he proudly describes himself, engraved a pretty and appropriate little vignette for a chemist of Nancy, Mons. R. Willemet; a reduced copy of this was done for Mons.

Soyer-Willemet.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF MONS. SOYER-WILLEMET.]

Another plate by the same engraver was done for D. Laflize, also of Nancy. This melancholy design is one of those to which exception has already been taken.

Amongst modern medical plates, that done by Mons. Henry Andre for the Doctor F. Bargallo of Paris is probably the most striking in its originality, and the most pleasing in its execution.

First of all are the owner's initials, F. B.: in the B. the whole name will be found; the accent over the "o" is intentional, and indicates the Spanish origin of the name. The professional attributes are the cup and the serpent, whilst the poppy points also to the study of botany, an all-important branch of medical education.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF D. LAFLIZE, OF NANCY.]

The lighter studies and amus.e.m.e.nts are indicated in the books, the music, and the portfolio of engravings. The dainty little female figure emerging from the alb.u.m gives some indication of the date by the style of her costume. There is a strong relation between the motto and the attributes on the design. Thus the wicked books that corrupt youth may be likened to the serpent; silly books that bore one resemble in their effect the sleep-producing power of the poppy; whilst the good books that console and amuse us have an affinity to the powers of a health-giving draught of restorative medicine. Thus, then, we have the _venenum_, the _somnus_, the _solamen_, of the motto. Such is the explanation politely sent me by the owner, which I give, as nearly as a translation can render, in his own words.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF DR. F. BARGALLo.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

CHAPTER XIII.

CANTING ARMS AND PUNNING PLATES.

Many of these quaint devices on British coats-of-arms are distinctly of French origin.

Thus the Montagues bear in their arms three fusils in fesse, the sharply serrated points of which suggest mountain peaks--the original name of the family having been Montacute. The French word for hedgehog is _herisson_, therefore the hedgehog is the charge of the family of Harrison; the swallow is in French the _hirondelle_, hence the swallow is placed on the shield of the Arundels:

"More swift than bird hight Arundelle, That gave him name, and in his shield of arms emblazoned well, He rides amid the armed troop."

Instances might be almost indefinitely multiplied; these are amongst the best because the most obvious, others, which are so recondite as to require lengthy descriptions, defeat their own purpose.

The French expression _les armes parlantes_ is more musical than ours, and examples of canting arms are perhaps as common in French as in English heraldry, whilst punning book-plates are numerous amongst modern specimens, especially those belonging to men of arts and letters.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF C. J. L. COQUEREAU.]

The Gallic c.o.c.k is naturally a favourite charge, and may be found frequently in conjunction with such names as Lecoq, or Coquebert, or Coquereau, yet it by no means follows that these can be strictly termed canting arms, for, as Salverte remarks in his "Essai sur les Noms," "Le meme usage a ete alternativement cause et effet," so that whilst numerous armorial ensigns were borrowed from the bearers' names, so also, in many cases, surnames were borrowed from the arms. He, therefore, who bore a c.o.c.k on his shield may well have become known in the course of time as Jean Le Coq.

One of the funniest bits of canting heraldry ever printed occurred in the "Daily News" (London) of 5th April, 1892. The Paris correspondent, writing of Ravachol, the murderer, said: "His family have a place in the 'Armorial de Forez,' the peerage and gentry book of Saint-Chamond, where Ravachol was born. His ancestors are set down in that volume as dating from 1600. _Their shield bears argent with a fess azure, three roses or, and a head of cabbage or, with a radish argent._ On the maternal side the motto is a canting one, being 'Rave-a-chou,' which is doubtless the origin of the curiously striking name of Ravachol."

It would be amusing to see how the writer would "trick" the shield he has vainly endeavoured to describe; besides, as was proved at the trial, the murderer's name was not Ravachol, nor was he even a Frenchman by birth.

In 1768 Monier designed a very handsome plate for _Louis Vacher_, in which not only does a cow appear on the shield, but both the supporters are also cows, in allusion to the owner's name.

A plate recently found in an old French book bore the inscription: "Des livres de M. Fauveau, avocat au Parlement." The arms were, Party per fess azure and or, in chief three scythes (_faux_) argent, and in base a calf's head (_veau_) gules.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF LOUIS VACHER, 1768.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF P. COCHON.]

There is no term of opprobrium more offensive to a Frenchman than that of _cochon_, although ignorant English tourists occasionally apply it by mistake to a cabdriver. But here we have a gentleman of the old school who rejoiced in the name, and put a little pig in his field in order that there might be no mistake about it. The moon and stars are thrown into the bargain, as being of secondary importance.

This plate of Jacob Houblon, Esq., is unmistakably the work of R.

Mountaine, and we may therefore fix its date as 1750, or thereabouts.

Although the workmanship of the plate is English, the _armes parlantes_ it bears are obviously of French origin, the hop vine signifying Houblon.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF JACOB HOUBLON, ESQ.]

Samuel Pepys in his diary mentions that the five brothers Houblon came to supper at his house on May 15, 1666. They were rich merchants, one of them later on coming to be Lord Mayor of London, and the first Governor of the Bank of England.

According to an epitaph in the church of St. Mary Woolnoth, in London, their ancestor was one Peter Houblon, who came over from Flanders.

The late Lord Palmerston was descended from a Sir John Houblon, who was Lord Mayor of London in 1695.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF JOHN VIGNOLES.]

As recently as 1894 the death of a descendant of the family was announced, that of Mr. Richard Archer Houblon, J.P., of Cambridgeshire, aged eighty-five years, whose estate was valued at over 50,000, whilst but a short time since a Colonel Archer Houblon was in command of a battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment.

Of somewhat similar origin, but from the grapevine, come the arms of the Vignoles family, a branch of which, long settled in England, produced the well-known civil engineer.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF J. L. ROBILLARD.]