French Royal Bindings of the 17th-19th Centuries

Books with Royal Bookplates

Louis XIII

Louis XIII (1601-1643) formally became King of France and Navarre in 1610 after the death of his father Henry IV was assassinated, but during his early reign, his mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent until his majority. Subsequently, until his death, Louis XIII ruled with the help of his chief minister, Cardinal Richelieu. The result of his reign was the strengthening of royal power in France and the discovery of a number of conspiracies of the nobles, most of which were led by his brother Gaston of Orleans. The image of Louis XIII, created by literature and cinema, as a weak-willed monarch highly susceptible to Richelieu's influence, does not correspond to reality. To demonstrate a favour of his first minister was Louis XIII's strategy. It helped him to undermine the authority of the French nobility and the royal family, and thereby made an important step towards the establishment of absolute royal power in France.

 

1) Sigonio, Carlo (1524?-1584).
Caroli Sigonii De antiquo iure provinciarum libri duo. Nunc primum in lucem editi. Index auctorum, & rerum memorabilium. — Venetijs [Venezia] : Jordan Ziletti, 1568.

2) Sigonio, Carlo (1524?-1584).
Caroli Sigoni[i] De lege curiata magistratuum, et imperatorum, ac iure eorum, liber. — Venetiis [Venezia] : ex officina Iordani Ziletti, 1569.

3) Sigonio, Carlo (1524?-1584).
Caroli Sigonii De rep. Atheniensium libri IIII. — Bononiae [Bologna] : apud Ioannem Rubrium, 1564.

4) Sigonio, Carlo (1524?-1584).
Caroli Sigonii De Atheniensium, Lacedaemoniorumq. temporibus liber. — Venetiis [Venezia] : ex officina Dominici Guerrei, & Io. Baptistae fratrum, 1564.

8° (143 х 202 mm). The brown leather binding with gold embossing. Louis XIII's super ex libris — the King's coat of arms surrounded by the fleurs-de-lis is placed on the front and back covers, the fleurs-de-lis are on the spine (is established by: GUIGARD J. Nouvel armorial du bibliophile. T. 1. P. 23).

Provenance: owner's record «le Comte de fallart»; Załuski, Józef Andrzej (1702-1774) (characteristic notes on the title page).

Shelf mark: 10.19.7.198

Historical works by Carlo Sigonio Historical works by Carlo Sigonio Historical works by Carlo Sigonio Historical works by Carlo Sigonio

The book binding is decorated by Louis XIII's super ex libris (a double coat of arms of France and Navarre under the royal crown, framed with the ribbon of the Order of the Holy Spirit) and the fleurs-de-lis. In the National Library of Russia, the book came from the collection of the Załuski brothers, as evidenced by the notes on the first title page.

The book is a collection compiled from four previously independently published historical works of the Italian humanist of Carlo Sigonio (1524-1584): On the Ancient Law of the Provinces (Venice, 1568), On the Curial Law of Magistrates and Emperors (Venice, 1569), On the Athenian Republic (Bologna, 1564 ), On Athenian and Lacedaemon Time (Venice, 1564).

 

Horatius Flaccus, Quintus (65-8 до н.э.).

Q. Horatii Flacci Opera omnia, a Pet. Gualt. Chabotio viro in omni literatura perectissimo, admiranda ingenii & iudicii dexteritste, eruditionis varietate, & linguarum elegantia, triplici artificio explicata. Nunc verò a I. Iac. Grassero C. Rom. ex ipsius Chabotij lucubrationibus manuscriptis, tantopere aucta, emendata, & illustrata, ut nihil commentarij amplius à quoquam desiderari possit. Accessit index rerum & verborum copiosissimus. — Colon. Munatianae [Basel] : apud Ludovicum Regem, 1615.

2o (220 x 350). The brown leather binding with gold embossing. Louis XIII's super ex libris — the King's coat of arms surrounded by the fleurs-de-lis and the crowned initial L are placed on the front and back covers, the fleurs-de-lis and the crowned initial L are on the spine (is established by: GUIGARD J. Nouvel armorial du bibliophile. T. 1. P. 22-23).

Provenance: Verius, Joannes (Award Sheet of the College of Louis the Great dated 27 August 27 1644); David Günzburg (1857-1910) (engraved bookplate bearing a coat of arms).

Shelf mark: A-6/47

Works by Horace Works by Horace Works by Horace

The award sheet, pasted in front of the title, shows that this luxury edition of Works by Horace is an encouraging gift to the student of the Clermont College, Joannes Verius, for his successes in the course of study in 1644. Towards the end of the reign of Louis XIII, the Clermont College flourished at the expense of the funds allocated by the sovereign. Due to this money, the book was bought and bound, therefore the front and back covers carry the King's coats of arms, the fleurs-de-lis and the crowned initials L.

The National Library of Russia acquired his book from the private collection of the Russian orientalist David Gorazievich Gintsburg (1857-1910), a large part of which, according to his will, was in the Jerusalem Public Library.

 

Statius, Publius Papinius (approx. 40 -; approx. 95).

Publii Papinii Statii Opera, cum observationibus ac cum commentariis tam veterum quam recentiorum interpretum. Emericus Cruceus recensuit, & novo commentario Statij Sylvas illustravit. Cum indicibus locupletissimis. — Parisiis [Paris] : sumptibus Thomae Blaise, 1618.

4° (173 х 240 mm). The brown leather binding with gold embossing. Louis XIII's super ex libris — the King's coat of arms surrounded by the fleurs-de-lis and the crowned initial L are placed on the front and back covers, the fleurs-de-lis and the crowned initial L are on the spine (is established by: OHR, pl. 2493, no.4, 8).

Provenance: Załuski, Józef Andrzej (1702-1774) (characteristic notes on the title page and the stamp "I. A. ZALVSKI").

Shelf mark: 7.2.2.15

Works of Publius Papinius Statius Works of Publius Papinius Statius

The book is a collection compiled from three previously independently published works of Publius Papinius Statius (c. 45 -; c. 96 AD) — the famous ancient Roman poet. In the National Library of Russia, it came from the collection of the Zaluski brothers. Noteworthy is an unusual printer's mark depicting a heron seizing a fish in its beak, but simultaneously caught in a snare. This emblem was used by the Parisian publisher Thomae Blaise (1578-1654).

 

Gabriel de Sainte-Marie (1554-1629).

Conciones adventuales super Missus est. In quibus honor Deiparae propugnatur contra impios & blasphemos haereticos, tam antiquos, quam modernos; & praerogativae Divae Virginis ample explicantur Authore illustrissimo & reverendiss. Gabriele de Sancta Maria archiepiscopo & duce Remensi. — Remis [Reims] : apud Nicolaum Constant, Nicolaum Hecart, & Franciscum Bernard, 1625.

8° (107 х 175 mm). The brown leather binding with gold embossing. Louis XIII's super ex libris — the King's coat of arms surrounded by the fleurs-de-lis and the crowned initial L are placed on the front and back covers, the fleurs-de-lis and the crowned initial L are on the spine (is established by: GUIGARD J. Nouvel armorial du bibliophile. T. 1. P. 22-23 и OHR, pl. 2493, no.7).

Provenance: Załuski, Józef Andrzej (1702-1774) (characteristic notes on the title page и штамп «I. A. ZALVSKI»); owner's record «Ex libris francisci huberti (?) emptus mensis Augusti 23/1638/».

Shelf mark: 15.51.7.8

Adventist sermons by Archbishop Reims, Gabriel Gifford Adventist sermons by Archbishop Reims, Gabriel Gifford Adventist sermons by Archbishop Reims, Gabriel Gifford Adventist sermons by Archbishop Reims, Gabriel Gifford

The front and back covers of the binding are decorated with the double coat of arms of Louis III, the fleurs-de-lis and the crowned initials L. The book came in our library from the collection of the Zaluski brothers, as evidenced by the characteristic notes and the stamp "I. A. ZALVSKI" on the title page. The white sheet pasted before the title there is an inscription: "Ex libris francisci huberti (?) emptus mensis Augusti (from the books of Francis Hubertus bought in the month of August 23/1638)". This indicates that the book was kept in a private library of an unidentified owner before the Zaluski collection.

The book consists of Adventist Sermons, that is, sermons on Crist's Second Coming by Archbishop Reims, Gabriel Gifford (also known as Gabriel de Sainte-Marie, 1554-1629).

 

Theodoretus <Cyrrhensis> (approx. 393 -; approx. 458).

Theodoreti episcopi Cyri De providentia orationes decem. Nunc primum Latine & Graece coniunctim editae. Additae sunt variae lectiones ex antiquis & manuscriptis codicibus, multis locis emendationes, & notae, tota denique vetus interpretatio recensita. — Parisiis [Paris] : apud Franciscum Pelicanum, 1630.

8° (103 х 163 mm). The brown leather binding with gold embossing. Louis XIII's super ex libris — the King's coat of arms surrounded by the fleurs-de-lis is placed on the front and back covers, the fleurs-de-lis are on the spine (is established by: OHR, pl. 2493, no.4).

Provenance: Załuski, Józef Andrzej (1702-1774) (characteristic notes on the title page).

Shelf mark: 17a.5.7.51

Ten Discourses on Providence by Theodoret of Cyrus Ten Discourses on Providence by Theodoret of Cyrus Ten Discourses on Providence by Theodoret of Cyrus

The book with Louis XIII's super ex libris came in our library from the collection of the Zaluski brothers, as evidenced by the inscriptions on the title page. This is Ten Discourses on Providence by the 5th century Antiochian theologian Theodoret of Cyrus, a participant in the Christological disputes between Nestorius and Cyril of Alexandria. The work was published in Paris in 1630.