Du Bellay, Exemplaria literarum, Paris, 1537, French black morocco gilt by Gommar Estienne

DU BELLAY, GUILLAUME. Exemplaria literarum, quibus & christianissimus Galliarum Rex Franciscus, ab adversariorum maledictus defenditur. Paris: Robert Estienne, 1537

A CHARMING WIDE-MARGINED COPY IN A FINE BINDING BY GOMMAR ESTIENNE, with an imitation of Thomas Mahieu's complex monogram added later.

Gommar Estienne was a native of Brabant, who held the office of royal bookbinder from about November 1547 until about May 1555, working intensively at Fontainebleau for the royal library, until mid-1552. From then, he worked from an atelier in Paris, producing fine bindings for non-royal collectors such as Jean Grolier, Marc Laurin, the Cardinal de Lorraine and Thomas Mahieu.

Although this binding is the work of Gommar Estienne, the monogram, previously identified as the complex monogram of Thomas Mahieu, is most likely a later addition. It does not fit neatly within the gilt decoration, and the foot of the right-hand downstroke of the M does not tilt downwards in the correct manner. This copy features in Anthony Hobson's "Les livres reliés pour Thomas Mahieu: I", Bulletin du Bibliophile 2, 2004, as no. 53; however, its location was listed as unknown, and it was presumably not examined in-person.

For a series of bindings for the collector Thomas Mahieu (fl. 1547-1580s) in the present sale, see lots 1662 (Doni), 1767 (Montalbani), and 1843 (Simeoni).

Sotheby's is grateful to Professor Mirjam M. Foot for her assistance in researching this binding.