French Book-plates Part 23

The Docteur Jules Le Bayon is a Breton, a native of Carnac, where are to be seen the wonderful Druidical stones, a few of which are depicted on his ex-libris. Mons. Le Bayon is a doctor of medicine by profession, but he is also an enthusiastic amateur of music, hence the introduction of a peasant clad in the old Brittany costume, playing on the rural pipes.

The sprig of mistletoe, the sacred plant of the Druids, completes an engraving which is full of picturesque allusiveness.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF JAN DES VIGNES.

Designed by Henry Andre.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF JULES LE BAYON, 1896.

Designed by Henry Andre.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF ABEL PICARD.

Designed by Henry Andre.]

And lastly, we have that of Mons. Abel Picard, an eminent bibliophile holding a high official position in Paris. The ribbon, that so ingeniously curves itself into the owner's initials, enfolds a view of the quays along the Seine, with their stalls of second-hand books, and the _flaneurs_ on the look-out for bargains. In the distance may faintly be descried the towers of Notre Dame. Below we have indications that the owner's tastes in reading are varied: Michelet, the historian, is near a volume on art; whilst the novels of Daudet and Zola are only separated by a sliding part.i.tion from a bulky and well thumbed tome on the "Droit Administratif," surely a suggestive contrast. As for the perky little Parisian sparrow (for such I am informed is the bird), c'est un plat de supplement a cinquante centimes that I do not feel called upon to describe.

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

Mons. L. P. Couraud, of Cognac, designed his own armorial plate; the motto (a translation from Virgil) is appropriate to one who has won success by his own energy and skill.

Mons. Couraud, who is an enthusiastic collector of prints, medals, and ancient furniture, thus describes the origin of his book-plate: "Dans une vieille edition du 'Roman du Renart' je recontrai cette devise, 'Fortune secort les hardiz,' des lors mon ex-libris etait trouve. Je fis representer la cla.s.sique Fortune dans un ecusson d'or, au chef cousu d'azur (shown _gules_ in the engraving) charge de trois fleurs-de-lis, avec deux _coqs_ pour supports; ce qui faisait allusion a mes opinions politiques." This was drawn by Mons. Couraud and engraved by Devambez.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF BARON PICHOU.

Designed by A. G.o.dreuil.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF ALFRED BOVET.

Engraved by Stern.]

It will be seen that the owner frankly admits not only that the arms were a.s.sumed, but that they were purely fanciful. For a trade label such a device might be excused, but all who have any respect for the science of heraldry will be pleased to learn that the owner has determined to suppress this plate, and has had another engraved for him by Henry Andre, after a pretty floral design of Van Spaendonck, and printed in colours.

The power to appreciate beauty is but one factor in many that go to the forming of an artist, yet it is the indispensable.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF LAFITTE.

Designed by Agry.]

Who, then, amongst modern French artists, has produced the most beautiful and characteristic ex-libris? The question is too difficult to solve offhand; it is, indeed, a matter of taste. Many would select Aglaus Bouvenne, Leopold Flameng; others might suggest C. E. Thiery or Henry Andre.

Other modern artists who should be mentioned are Bracquemond, who produced a plate for M. Aglaus Bouvenne himself, and the very simple severe mark for the late Poulet-Mala.s.sis, with its vigorous a.s.sertion, _Je l'ai_, as well as the plates for Charles a.s.selineau and Paul Arnauldet, the latter with its anti-Grolier motto, _Nunquam amicorum!_

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF C. BAYARD.

Designed by P. Pascalon.]

Francois Courboin, Felicien Rops, and Paul Avril have also produced some light and graceful designs for modern ex-libris.

The style of a book-plate may be taken as some indication of the tastes and nature of the owner, and this is particularly true of modern French ex-libris, in which artistic fancy and originality have full swing. From this point of view a collection may have more value than might at first be supposed. It would be claiming too much to a.s.sert that no great man ever had an ugly or an inappropriate ex-libris, yet it may be safely a.s.sumed that few but men of taste and culture possess really artistic book-plates.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BOOK-PLATE OF MARTHE DE BORNIOL.

Designed by M. Georgel.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

CHAPTER XVII.

ARTISTS AND ENGRAVERS WHOSE SIGNATURES ARE FOUND UPON FRENCH BOOK-PLATES.

In the following list no attempt has been made to enumerate every separate ex-libris signed by each artist; such works as would best ill.u.s.trate their style, or the period they worked in, only have been selected, or plates possessing other features of interest, literary, artistic, or personal.

It must be borne in mind that a large proportion of the early French plates bore no owners' names, although they were frequently signed by the engraver. Many of these plates have been identified by the arms, the mottoes, or other peculiarities in design, but some still remain unidentified.

Where engraved dates appear on the ex-libris these have been mentioned, but no notice has been taken of dates inserted in ma.n.u.script, these, as is well known, being quite unreliable.

For certain engravers, on whose work no date has been found, a century has been named approximately from an examination of the plates they produced.

Some of this information must necessarily be conjectural, and Mons.

Poulet-Mala.s.sis mentions certain artists and engravers of book-plates of whose work it has not been possible either to obtain copies, or any information whatever.

For facility of reference a strictly alphabetical arrangement of the names has been adopted.

Wherever it was possible, the inscriptions and signatures have been copied from the book-plates themselves, carefully preserving the arbitrary contractions, the obsolete orthography, and even the errors and the faulty accentuation found on many of them.

It will be observed that Mr. as a contraction for _Monsieur_ was formerly more generally used in France than it now is, whilst Escuyer, Escuier, or Ecuyer (for Esquire) was occasionally added after a gentleman's name, a custom which has, since the Revolution, become quite obsolete.

One of the latest examples of the use of this t.i.tle will be found on the ex-libris of Jean Francois-Gillet, dated 1778, of which a reproduction appears on p. 96.

A List of Artists and Engravers.

ABOT.

Engraved a plate for M.

Greppe. Designed by Giacomelli.

Modern.

TANCReDE ABRAHAM.

Chateau de Ruille. (De la Planche, Comte de Ruille.) 1874. Armorial.

ADELINE, JULES.