Le Blason des armes
Unique complete copy cited by Bechtel of the Blason des armes printed in Lyon in 1527, adorned with more than one hundred coats of arms in contemporary colors, bound in morocco by Chambolle-Duru around 1875.
Octavo, A-F4 = 24 leaves without the final blank.
Red morocco, triple gilt fillet border on covers, spine with raised bands, decorated, gilt fillets on edges, gilt edges. Binding by Chambolle-Duru circa 1875.
131 x 90 mm.
The Blason des armes with the arms of the Princes & Lords of France. (Coats of arms). (At the end :) Here ends the blason des armes printed in Lyon… by Claude Nourry called the Prince The year of grace 1527.
Unique complete copy cited by Bechtel adorned with more than a hundred coats of arms hand-colored at the time.
“Arms of France on the title, with an angel vanquishing an eagle on the back of a hedgehog.”
“This work is often the subject of confusion. In fact, there is, on one hand, a work by Clément Prisaut (according to G. Saffroy, Bibliographie généalogique, héraldique et nobiliaire de la France, Paris, 1968) published under the title of Blason des armes (24 to 28 ff.); and, on the other hand, a seemingly earlier text by Jean Courtois (others say Jacques d’Enghien), in any case nicknamed the Sicily hero, herald of arms to Alphonso V of Aragon, a very similar work, which first appeared under the title Blason de TOUTES armes (at least 40 ff.), then more frequently as Blason des couleurs. These works deal with the same subject, heraldry or the art of blazon, and were published anonymously (except sometimes, with the author’s name in acrostic). Hence the many mix-ups.” (Bechtel).
Bechtel reports that only one other copy is recorded at the Amiens Library and that this fine copy bound in Chambolle-Duru red morocco was sold for the significant price of 12,000 FF in March 1993, 33 years ago.
From the Henri Burton library with ex-libris.
