French Book-plates Part 21

"_Dulce_--Delightful, says the poet, _Est_--is it, and right well we know it, _Desipere_--to play the fool _In loco_--when we're out of school."

M. Gueulette was a worthy disciple of Horace, for more than eighty years he enjoyed the work, the pleasures, and the success of life; he acc.u.mulated a large and valuable library, and his books were probably the first to be decorated with a book-plate bearing not only the arms of their owner, but also allegorical allusions to his tastes and literary labours.

M. Gueulette had a second and smaller plate, signed Bellanger; this was similar in its general features, but different in many of its details to the above.

The Abbe Joseph-Marie Terray, Controller-General of Finance under Louis XV., was one of those men who, by their cruel exactions, dissolute living, and reckless expenditure, were directly responsible for the ruin of French credit and for the great Revolution which ensued. Terray was born at Boen in 1715, and died in Paris in February, 1778, almost universally hated and despised. It is true that he had collected a handsome library, that his books were sumptuously bound, and that he had a reputation as a patron of art and letters. But holding many highly paid sinecure offices, and being the proprietor of rich ecclesiastical livings (not to mention the gross jobbery he exercised in the state finances), he could well afford to buy expensive books and to employ a few bookbinders. History records no other good trait in the character of this priestly financier, who was both physically and morally ugly, depraved, and rapacious.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF THE ABBe JOSEPH-MARIE TERRAY.]

Was it for him that this epitaph was written?--

"Ci-git un grand personnage, Qui fut d'un ill.u.s.tre lignage, Qui posseda mille vertus; Qui ne se trompa jamais, qui fut toujours fort sage; Je n'en dirai pas d'avantage, _C'est trop mentir pour cent ecus_."

The game c.o.c.k was a favourite emblem with the ancient Greeks and Romans, on account of its courage and endurance. "The gait of the c.o.c.k," writes Pliny, "is proud and commanding; he walks in a stately stride, with his head erect and elevated crest; alone, of all birds, he habitually looks up to the sky, raising at the same time his curved and graceful tail, and inspiring terror even in the lion himself, that most intrepid of animals." He will fight to the death, and use his last breath to crow out a defiance, whilst the conqueror, standing over his vanquished rival, will flap his wings and loudly proclaim his victory.

For many ages the game c.o.c.k, as brave and n.o.ble a bird as any that lives, was the badge of our Gallic neighbours:

"Le coq francais est le coq de la gloire, Par les revers il n'est point abattu; Il chante fort lorsqu'il a la victoire, Encor plus fort quand il est bien battu.

Le coq francais est le coq de la gloire Toujours chanter est sa grande vertu.

Est il imprudent, est-il sage?

C'est ce qu'on ne peut definir: Mais qui ne perd jamais courage, Se rend maitre de l'avenir."

Besides being a national emblem, many ancient and n.o.ble French houses bore a c.o.c.k on their shields. There were c.o.c.ks "cantant," holding up their heads with opened beaks, as though they were crowing, and c.o.c.ks "hardy," which stood on one leg with the other aggressively uplifted.

Louis-Philippe, on being made King of the French, adopted the bird standing in this warlike att.i.tude, a circ.u.mstance which did not escape the attention of the Legitimist opponents of the bourgeois king. Shortly after his accession a biting satire was circulated in anti-Orleanist society. It set forth how the n.o.ble Gallic c.o.c.k, raking in the dunghill, had scratched up King Louis-Philippe, who, in exulting grat.i.tude, had placed the bird in the arms of France. Be this as it may, the Gallic c.o.c.k held his place on the escutcheon of the Orleanist dynasty until the events of 1848 compelled Louis-Philippe to escape to England under the a.s.sumed name of Mr. Smith.

M. Gambetta carried this bird, in the act of crowing, on his book-plate, with an equally gallant motto, "Vouloir c'est Pouvoir," but we seek in vain to learn of what was composed the library of Gambetta. This is a mystery! It may be readily surmised that he had not many of the tastes of a bibliophile, nor time in which to indulge them. As to the plate itself, the design was probably suggested by Poulet-Mala.s.sis, and it was engraved by M. Alphonse Legros about 1874, when that artist was commissioned by Sir Charles Dilke to go to Paris to procure a portrait of M. Leon Gambetta.

Proof impressions of the plate exist in four states, all very rare; but the curious feature about it is that M. Gambetta certified in 1882 that he had never made use of it as a book-plate, and when in May, 1895, Dr.

Bouland obtained the loan of the _original copper_ to publish in the "Archives de la Societe Francaise," he found it had scarcely been used.

So that the numerous copies of the Gambetta book-plate scattered about must be looked upon as forgeries.

The book-plate of another distinguished Frenchman, Victor Hugo, is also somewhat of a puzzle.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF LeON GAMBETTA. (REDUCED.)]

It has been reproduced in nearly every ill.u.s.trated article that has been printed on French ex-libris, with its towers of the cathedral of Notre Dame illuminated by the flash of lightning carrying his name:

"Les tours de Notre-Dame etaient l'H. de son Nom!"

On what occasion can M. Aglaus Bouvenne have designed this celebrated book-plate, seeing that at the time of his death the library of Victor Hugo consisted of less than fifty volumes?

The history is a somewhat curious one.

As is well known, Victor Hugo was an implacable enemy of Napoleon III., and during his reign resided in Guernsey. Wishing to pay his great countryman a compliment, Mons. Aglaus Bouvenne designed this plate, the towers of Notre Dame being introduced not only to remind Hugo of his beloved Paris, but also in allusion to his famous novel.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF VICTOR HUGO.

By Aglaus Bouvenne.]

On the 10th July, 1870, Victor Hugo wrote from Hauteville House to thank the artist for the plate: "Votre _ex-libris_ fait par vous pour moi me charme--j'accepte avec reconnaissance cette jolie pet.i.te planche....

Votre ex-libris marquera tous les livres de la Bibliotheque de Hauteville House."

But the great war came, the downfall of the Empire, the return of Victor Hugo to Paris, and amidst so much change and excitement the poor little ex-libris appears to have been neglected. After the poet's death forgeries of it flooded the market, and many unwary collectors purchased worthless copies.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF THeOPHILE GAUTIER.

By Aglaus Bouvenne.]

At length Mons. Aglaus Bouvenne, who possessed the original copper, allowed prints of it to be taken to be issued with the "Archives de la Societe Francaise des Collectionneurs d'Ex Libris" for June, 1895, together with a facsimile of Victor Hugo's letter of thanks above quoted.

It should be noticed that the original plate is signed _Aglaus Bouvenne del et sculp. 70_ (for 1870), and although it may please collectors to possess a copy of this ex-libris, they must not a.s.sume, when purchasing one, that it ever was in the possession of the great poet himself.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF THE COMTE ALFRED D'ORSAY.]

M. Bouvenne also designed a plate, dated 1872, for the late novelist and dramatist Theophile Gautier, enshrining his monogram on the entablature of an Egyptian temple, but in this case he had to deal with a veritable lover of books, who possessed a library of some importance, which was sold, after his death, at the Hotel Drouot. A catalogue was issued describing the books, but, although they were mostly in good condition, and bore the book-plate of a man somewhat famous in his day, they realized but a small sum under the hammer.

Of the Comte d'Orsay, at one time the leader of fashion, the Prince of Dandies, and the a.s.sociate of the lovely but unfortunate Lady Blessington, there is little to be said, nor would that little be complimentary.

On page 38 is the tiny little plate of Paul Lacroix, better known, perhaps, as the bibliophile Jacob, whose writings have done so much to popularize the study of the manners of the Middle Ages, and the progress of civilization in France.

The two naked little _gamins_ are gazing at the P.L. on the open volume, illuminated by a lamp of ancient Greek design. The motto runs, "_Livres nouveaux, livres vielz et antiques, Etienne Dolet_."

Mons. Paul Lacroix was appointed curator of the Library of the a.r.s.enal in 1855, where he died a few years ago.

The Vicomte de Rouge, who died in 1873, was a famous Egyptologist, whose translations from the papyri and inscriptions on the Egyptian monuments were considered of the highest philological value. In 1860 M. de Rouge was installed in the chair of Egyptology in the College of France, where for some years he expounded the principles of careful a.n.a.lysis, upon which his own successful studies had been based. He left a son, who shared his father's enthusiasm for research, and was also a frequent contributor to the "Revue Archeologique."

The device of Ferdinand de Lesseps was a Hercules with the motto "Aperire terram gentibus," in allusion to his great work on the Isthmus of Suez. He did not then foresee his defeat and ruin in the Panama Ca.n.a.l.

The Comtesse de Noe possesses a name which permits her to represent the prehistoric ark as a kind of rebus; whilst Mons. Eugene Jacob, notary of Angerville, possesses a small ex-libris, designed by his nephew, Mons.

Metivet, which represents a Jacob's ladder crowded with book-loving angels.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF THE VICOMTE DE ROUGe.]

Albert Tissandier, the learned aeronaut, proclaims his specialty on his circular book-plate, which shows an inflated balloon soaring aloft to the realms of thought and ideality.

Whilst Prince Roland Bonaparte, who possessed one of the largest and most valuable libraries of modern collectors, was content to use nothing more elaborate than the Napoleonic eagle.

One of the most interesting and also one of the scarcest book-plates of modern French men of letters is the tiny ex-libris of Prosper-Merimee, whose library was burnt during the troubles of the Commune in 1871.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF EUGeNE JACOB.

Designed by Metivet.]

It is, as nearly as possible, the size of a penny postage-stamp, but it was designed and engraved by no less a man than Viollet Le Duc. The Gothic letters P. M. are surrounded by a scroll in the shape of a horse-shoe, with the opening directed upwards. The motto, in Greek, may be thus translated, "Do not forget to doubt." Here, too, is the unpretentious plate of the bibliophile Jacob, with angels bringing him his favourite volumes; whilst that of Charles Monselet, the author, has been inserted already in the chapter on punning plates.

A well-known plate is that designed by Gavarni for the brothers Edmond and Jules de Goncourt, and engraved by Jules de Goncourt himself. These brothers have written much on French art, and, in allusion to their literary partnership, the plate shows a sheet of paper on which are the letters E. J. held down by the two outstretched fingers of a hand. The design is at once simple and striking, but it has the great demerit of not proclaiming its owner's name, which is, after all, the _raison d'etre_ of a book-plate.

I cannot conclude this short chapter on distinguished plate-owners better than by giving the j.a.panesque ex-libris of Octave Uzanne, who has not only produced many charming volumes, the delight of all book-lovers, but is also himself an enthusiastic collector of ex-libris, and a writer of authority on their history.