Chaumeau, Histoire de Berry, Lyon, 1566, magnificent contemporary French tan calf with painted interlacing

first edition, folio (334 x 211 mm). collation: *⁴ a-y⁶ z⁸ A-F⁶ G⁸ *⁶ **⁶ (G8 blank): 200 leaves. Title-page with ornate allegorical woodcut border, 28 pages with woodcuts illustrating the coats of arms of mayors and officers of Bourges, large fold-out plate of the town of Bourges (2 leaves) and double map of Berry (2 leaves), arms of Bourges on O3v and Berry on t4r, ruled in red throughout. (Paper repair to 50 mm closed tear at lower margin of r1.)

binding: Contemporary French tan calf (341 x 220 mm), probably Lyon, covers entirely of freehand gougework forming interlaced strapwork enameled in various colours, outer border of white rectangle interlaced with black rectangle, inner green rectangle interlaced with white lozenge, the two linked by black strapwork at top and bottom, in centre a large circle formed by black strapwork interlaced with a green oval, this group linked to white lozenge and green rectangle by black strapwork with palmette finials above and below and at sides fantastic zoomorphic figures (resembling a Celtic type) repeated 4 times with large pointed ears, a white color and beard, and a long snout biting green rectangle, all against a gold pointillé ground, two pairs of fabric ties, tan and green alternating, flat spine mostly freehand gougework. (Expertly rebacked and recornered, retaining original spine.)

provenance: "Bourges", sixteenth-century ownership inscription on front free endpaper—Louis Aubret (1669-1748), Conseilleur au parlement de Dombes, eighteenth-century armorial bookplate—Constantin N. Radoulesco (d.1957), bookplate—Librairie Nicolas Rauch (Geneva), catalogue 5, 1956, item 50 (with coloured reproduction)—Pierre Foullon and Jacques Couppel de Lude (d. 2008), sale, Alde, 23 November 2009, lot 4—Thomas-Scheler, Catalogue for XXV^th Biennale des Antiquaires, item 19 (illustrated). acquisition: Purchased in in 2011 from Thomas-Scheler. references: USTC 7242; Mortimer Harvard French 137