Appianus Alexandrinus. [Des Guerres des Rommains, Livres XI. assavoir, le Libyque, le Syrien, le Parthique, le Mithridatique, le Illirien, le Celtique et cinq des guerres Civiles, plus le sixiesme desdictes guerres Civiles, extraict de Plutarque. Le tout traduict en françoys par feu M. Claude de Seyssel, premierement evesque de Marseille, et depuis archevesque de Thurin. Paris: René Avril, 1552]
Second edition of the Sayoyard Bishop and royal councilor Claude de Seyssel’s translation of the Wars of the Romans, including an account of the Roman Civil Wars, and Plutarch’s Life of Mark Antony. The translation is based on a Florentine manuscript, sent to Louis XII around 1500 (Paris, BnF, Grec 1681). Seyssel (1458–1520) himself did not know Greek, and he collaborated with a Byzantine refugee, Janus Lascaris, who made for him a Latin translation. Seyssel presented his translation to Louis XII in manuscript about 1507 (Paris, BnF, Ms Fr. 713-714). It was previously printed at Lyon in 1544.
This binding is decorated by a remarkable gilt and polychrome plaque featuring frontal and profile views of four native Americans. One (at top) wears a headdress with exaggerated horns, garlanded by a basket of fruit. Two (at sides), shown grimacing, wear feathered headdresses. The fourth figure (centered) is costumed, and wears either a horned headdress, or a crescent crown. The design is balanced (at bottom) by the head of an ox.
These appear to be stereotyped images of Amerindians; however, it is just possible that they are based on empirical evidence. Jacques Cartier had returned from his first voyage to the New World (April–September 1534) with two St. Lawrence Iroquoians, Domagaya and Taignoagny, sons of the native chief Donnacona. In May 1535, Cartier set sail for a second voyage, guided by Domagaya and Taignoagny, who had learned some French. When he was ready to return to France, Cartier seized ten Iroquoians, including Donnacona, his two sons, a little girl of ten or twelve years of age, and two little boys. Cartier arrived in Saint-Malo on 15 July 1536, and, according to contemporary accounts, the Iroquoians were paraded through the streets as exotic novelties.
Donnacona appeared before a notary for questioning and met with François I, to whom he related spurious tales of gold, silver mines, and spices, and in return received a pension and residence from the French crown. Three of the Indigenous people were baptized in Saint-Malo on 25 March 1538, perhaps because they were in failing health. All would die in France of disease, with the exception of the little girl, who returned to New France on Cartier’s third voyage.
Images of native Americans appeared simultaneously in other decorative arts, notably an iron mask (170 x 150mm) of a native American wearing a headdress and cannibalistic leer, made for the Château d’Écouen ca. 1535–1555 (Musée national de la Renaissance, ECL22115). The royal entry in 1550 of Henri II in the city of Rouen, which included fifty Brazilians imported by a merchant of Lyon, their lips, ears and cheeks pierced by white and green polished stones, was also reflected in the decorative arts.
Three other bindings decorated by the same panel are known (see below). The volume in Versailles (formerly in the library of the Couvent royal de Saint-Germain-en-Laye) has been painted with the same colors, however the headdresses of the two Indians seen in profile are green or blue, and the faces red (on our binding these colors are reversed). On both bindings, white is applied on the face of the figure in the center, on fruit, and on fabric draped over the bull’s horns.
Other Bindings Decorated by the Same Plaque
(1) Pandolfo Collenuccio, Sommaire des histoires du royaume de Naples … Composé premierement en langage italien par M. Pandolfo Collenucio, & depuis n’agueres mis en françois par Denis Sauvage (Paris: Gilles Corrozet & Arnoul L’Angelier, 1546). — LouisAlexandre Barbet (1850–1931) — Henri Baudoin, Maurice Ader & Librairie Giraud-Badin, Bibliothèque de feu M. L.-A. Barbet, Première partie, Paris, 13–14 June 1932, lot 69 — unidentified owner - bought in sale (FF 2800) — Audap Mirabaud & Christian Galantaris, Précieux livres anciens, illustrés modernes, voyages, littérature, livres aux armes, Paris, 17 June 2010, lot 39. (Only traces survive of the polychrome on the binding of the Collenuccio.)
(2) Marsilio Ficino, Le commentaire de Marsille Ficin, Florentin: sur le Banquet d’amour de Platon: faict françois par Symon Silvius (Poitiers: Jean & Enguilbert de Marnef, 1546) — Paris, Bibliothèque Mazarine, 8° 55171 Res.Maurice Piquard, Reliures du XVIe siècle à la Bibliothèque Mazarine: catalogue de l’exposition organisée à la Bibliothèque Mazarine, juin 1976, no. 81.x
(3) Heures à l’usage de Paris, toutes au long sans rien requérir (Paris: Yolande Bonhomme, 1551), bound with: Les recommandaces des trespassez (Paris: Yolande Bonhomme, 1549), bound with: La Patenostre que Nostre Seigneur Jesu christ fict (S.l., s.n., s.d.) — Versailles, Bibliothèque Centrale, Réserve C 240.Hector-Martin Lefuel, “Une reliure parisienne du XVIe siècle à décor de peaux-rouges” in Byblis: Miroir des arts du livre et de l’estampe 4 (1925), pp.97-101; Monique de La Roncière, “Documents uniques sur l’histoire du Québec” in Revue d’histoire de l’Amérique française 21 (1967), pp.118-124 (p.119 no. 7: “Reliure XVIe s. à décor de Peaux-Rouges”); Musée du Québec, La Renaissance et le Nouveau Monde (Québec 1984), p.124 no. 47 & Pl. 11.
8vo (172 x 97 mm). Roman and italic types, 40 lines plus headline. collation: aa–bb8 [-aa1] cc4 A–Z8 AA–II8 KK10: 469 (of 470) leaves (lacking title-page), KK10 blank. A few woodcut initials. (Very occasional light marginal dampstaining.)
binding: Contemporary French tan calf over wooden boards (178 x 115 mm), ca. 1552, frame of two gilt fillets around sides enameled red, gilt panel stamp with architectonic frame enameled blue, an Indian’s head facing outward in center; in corners of frame, fruits and vegetables, at sides of frame, Indian heads in profile with feathered headdresses, at top Indian head facing outward with headdress of fruit, at bottom a bull’s head, various elements enameled blue, red and gray, flat spine richly gold-tooled, edges gilt and gauffered to a floral pattern. (Lightly rubbed with some loss to enameling.)
provenance: Sixteenth-century inscription “Le Perandtion … (?) Joh. & Fr iiiii et vclxxix” on pastedown (unidentified) — Inscription “xii oriliers erotont (?) tant grand que petit” on pastedown (unidentified) — Inscriptions “Denos” and “La france Ecclésiastique” on pastedown (unidentified) — Inscription “No. 396” on verso of endleaf (unidentified) — Stanislas Machoïr, François Bailly & Bernard Clavreuil, Versailles, 7 November 1993, lot 140, purchased by — unidentified owner (FF 80,000). acquisition: Purchased from Rossignol, Paris, 1996.
references: USTC 65596; P. Renouard, ILP, I: no. 679.
Appianus Alexandrinus. [Des Guerres des Rommains, Livres XI. assavoir, le Libyque, le Syrien, le Parthique, le Mithridatique, le Illirien, le Celtique et cinq des guerres Civiles, plus le sixiesme desdictes guerres Civiles, extraict de Plutarque. Le tout traduict en françoys par feu M. Claude de Seyssel, premierement evesque de Marseille, et depuis archevesque de Thurin. Paris: René Avril, 1552]
Second edition of the Sayoyard Bishop and royal councilor Claude de Seyssel’s translation of the Wars of the Romans, including an account of the Roman Civil Wars, and Plutarch’s Life of Mark Antony. The translation is based on a Florentine manuscript, sent to Louis XII around 1500 (Paris, BnF, Grec 1681). Seyssel (1458–1520) himself did not know Greek, and he collaborated with a Byzantine refugee, Janus Lascaris, who made for him a Latin translation. Seyssel presented his translation to Louis XII in manuscript about 1507 (Paris, BnF, Ms Fr. 713-714). It was previously printed at Lyon in 1544.
This binding is decorated by a remarkable gilt and polychrome plaque featuring frontal and profile views of four native Americans. One (at top) wears a headdress with exaggerated horns, garlanded by a basket of fruit. Two (at sides), shown grimacing, wear feathered headdresses. The fourth figure (centered) is costumed, and wears either a horned headdress, or a crescent crown. The design is balanced (at bottom) by the head of an ox.
These appear to be stereotyped images of Amerindians; however, it is just possible that they are based on empirical evidence. Jacques Cartier had returned from his first voyage to the New World (April–September 1534) with two St. Lawrence Iroquoians, Domagaya and Taignoagny, sons of the native chief Donnacona. In May 1535, Cartier set sail for a second voyage, guided by Domagaya and Taignoagny, who had learned some French. When he was ready to return to France, Cartier seized ten Iroquoians, including Donnacona, his two sons, a little girl of ten or twelve years of age, and two little boys. Cartier arrived in Saint-Malo on 15 July 1536, and, according to contemporary accounts, the Iroquoians were paraded through the streets as exotic novelties.
Donnacona appeared before a notary for questioning and met with François I, to whom he related spurious tales of gold, silver mines, and spices, and in return received a pension and residence from the French crown. Three of the Indigenous people were baptized in Saint-Malo on 25 March 1538, perhaps because they were in failing health. All would die in France of disease, with the exception of the little girl, who returned to New France on Cartier’s third voyage.
Images of native Americans appeared simultaneously in other decorative arts, notably an iron mask (170 x 150mm) of a native American wearing a headdress and cannibalistic leer, made for the Château d’Écouen ca. 1535–1555 (Musée national de la Renaissance, ECL22115). The royal entry in 1550 of Henri II in the city of Rouen, which included fifty Brazilians imported by a merchant of Lyon, their lips, ears and cheeks pierced by white and green polished stones, was also reflected in the decorative arts.
Three other bindings decorated by the same panel are known (see below). The volume in Versailles (formerly in the library of the Couvent royal de Saint-Germain-en-Laye) has been painted with the same colors, however the headdresses of the two Indians seen in profile are green or blue, and the faces red (on our binding these colors are reversed). On both bindings, white is applied on the face of the figure in the center, on fruit, and on fabric draped over the bull’s horns.
Other Bindings Decorated by the Same Plaque
(1) Pandolfo Collenuccio, Sommaire des histoires du royaume de Naples … Composé premierement en langage italien par M. Pandolfo Collenucio, & depuis n’agueres mis en françois par Denis Sauvage (Paris: Gilles Corrozet & Arnoul L’Angelier, 1546). — LouisAlexandre Barbet (1850–1931) — Henri Baudoin, Maurice Ader & Librairie Giraud-Badin, Bibliothèque de feu M. L.-A. Barbet, Première partie, Paris, 13–14 June 1932, lot 69 — unidentified owner - bought in sale (FF 2800) — Audap Mirabaud & Christian Galantaris, Précieux livres anciens, illustrés modernes, voyages, littérature, livres aux armes, Paris, 17 June 2010, lot 39. (Only traces survive of the polychrome on the binding of the Collenuccio.)
(2) Marsilio Ficino, Le commentaire de Marsille Ficin, Florentin: sur le Banquet d’amour de Platon: faict françois par Symon Silvius (Poitiers: Jean & Enguilbert de Marnef, 1546) — Paris, Bibliothèque Mazarine, 8° 55171 Res.Maurice Piquard, Reliures du XVIe siècle à la Bibliothèque Mazarine: catalogue de l’exposition organisée à la Bibliothèque Mazarine, juin 1976, no. 81.x
(3) Heures à l’usage de Paris, toutes au long sans rien requérir (Paris: Yolande Bonhomme, 1551), bound with: Les recommandaces des trespassez (Paris: Yolande Bonhomme, 1549), bound with: La Patenostre que Nostre Seigneur Jesu christ fict (S.l., s.n., s.d.) — Versailles, Bibliothèque Centrale, Réserve C 240.Hector-Martin Lefuel, “Une reliure parisienne du XVIe siècle à décor de peaux-rouges” in Byblis: Miroir des arts du livre et de l’estampe 4 (1925), pp.97-101; Monique de La Roncière, “Documents uniques sur l’histoire du Québec” in Revue d’histoire de l’Amérique française 21 (1967), pp.118-124 (p.119 no. 7: “Reliure XVIe s. à décor de Peaux-Rouges”); Musée du Québec, La Renaissance et le Nouveau Monde (Québec 1984), p.124 no. 47 & Pl. 11.
8vo (172 x 97 mm). Roman and italic types, 40 lines plus headline. collation: aa–bb8 [-aa1] cc4 A–Z8 AA–II8 KK10: 469 (of 470) leaves (lacking title-page), KK10 blank. A few woodcut initials. (Very occasional light marginal dampstaining.)
binding: Contemporary French tan calf over wooden boards (178 x 115 mm), ca. 1552, frame of two gilt fillets around sides enameled red, gilt panel stamp with architectonic frame enameled blue, an Indian’s head facing outward in center; in corners of frame, fruits and vegetables, at sides of frame, Indian heads in profile with feathered headdresses, at top Indian head facing outward with headdress of fruit, at bottom a bull’s head, various elements enameled blue, red and gray, flat spine richly gold-tooled, edges gilt and gauffered to a floral pattern. (Lightly rubbed with some loss to enameling.)
provenance: Sixteenth-century inscription “Le Perandtion … (?) Joh. & Fr iiiii et vclxxix” on pastedown (unidentified) — Inscription “xii oriliers erotont (?) tant grand que petit” on pastedown (unidentified) — Inscriptions “Denos” and “La france Ecclésiastique” on pastedown (unidentified) — Inscription “No. 396” on verso of endleaf (unidentified) — Stanislas Machoïr, François Bailly & Bernard Clavreuil, Versailles, 7 November 1993, lot 140, purchased by — unidentified owner (FF 80,000). acquisition: Purchased from Rossignol, Paris, 1996.
references: USTC 65596; P. Renouard, ILP, I: no. 679.
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