Vignier, La bibliotheque historiale, Paris, 1587, 3 volumes, red morocco gilt for Cardinal Charles II de Bourbon-Vendôme
Estimate
18,000 - 24,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
VIGNIER, NICOLAS. La bibliotheque historiale. Paris: Abel L'Angelier, 1587
FIRST EDITION WITH THE ARMS OF THE CARDINAL CHARLES II OF BOURBON-VENDÔME; THE ÉTIENNE BALUZE COPY.
Nicolas Vignier (c. 1530-1596) was a French historian and a Calvinist who converted to Catholicism and became the personal historiographer to Henri III. A fourth volume, completing this work, only appeared in 1650.
These volumes bear the arms of Cardinal Charles II de Bourbon-Vendôme (1562-1594), advisor to Henri III of France. The same arms and motto are found on small number of extant volumes, including the binding of an illuminated manuscript in the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF Latin 6310), and, in the present sale, lot 1820 (Ridolfi). The upper cover of the present copy displays the arms of Henri IV of France.
These volumes later belonged to Étienne Baluze (1630-1718), librarian to Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619–1683). Étienne Baluze's catalogue lists four volumes, suggesting that he acquired the later volume upon its publication, to complete the set.
3 volumes, folio (357 x 255 mm). Roman and italic type, in tables. collation: ā6 ē6 ī6 a-4k6 l-m4 (ī6 blank); [π]2 *6 A-2D6 2e8 2F-3T6 3V4 3X-3Z6 4A4 4B6 (final leaf blank, preliminary blank bound after title); ++6 A-4I6 4K-4L4: 500 + 432 + 482 leaves (USTC collation of third volume calls for 480 leaves with gathering ++4, of which ++3-4 blank; present copy has gathering ++6 instead, including duplicate of ++2 dedication leaf and additional blank). Woodcut printer's device on 3 title-pages, woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces. (Light even browning, small wormhole to lower margin of first volume, small wormholes to foot of textblock of second volume, small wormtrack to upper margin of preliminary leaves and small scattered wormholes to upper margin of final quires of third volume.)
binding: French red morocco (366 x 235 mm), triple gilt fillet border around sides, flat spine with triple gilt fillet frame, horizontal 3-line gilt title at head, at centre the arms of Charles II de Bourbon-Vendôme, at tail a medallion with a lily and the motto "SVPERAT CANDORE ET ODORE", edges gilt. (Bindings somewhat scraped, small stains to sides, with old repairs to corners, spine ends and joints.)
provenance: Cardinal Charles II de Bourbon-Vendôme (1562-1594), arms on spine (compare OHR 2617, 1 & 2)—Étienne Baluze (1630-1718), signature "Stephanus Baluzius Tutelensis" to title of the second volume, his sale, Paris, 8 May 1719, lot 700 (with the 1650 fourth volume, now separated)—Jean Fürstenberg (1890-1982), red gilt booklabel, bequeathed to Fondation Fürstenberg-Beaumesnil, sale, Wemaëre, de Beaupuis, Denesle, Binoche et Giquello, Paris, 9 December 2013, lot 167. acquisition: Purchased at the preceding sale. references: USTC 1790; Jean Balsamo & Michel Simonin, Abel L'Angelier & Françoise de Louvain, 1574-1620 (Geneva 2002), pp. 231-232, no. 190
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