Médailles sur les principaux événements du règne de Louis le Grand, avec des explications historiques. 1702
Contemporary red straight-grain goatskin binding; gold-tooled throughout. Design identical on both sides: outer border of one single and one double fillet, with small fluer-de-lis in each of the outer corners. In the centre, the three fluer-de-lis of France within a circle, surmounted by a crown and surrounded two chains, the inner with shells and the outer with fluer-de-lis and crowned ‘I’’s, with a medal containing the dove of the Holy Spirit (chains of St. Michael and Saint-Esprit); all surrounded by a wreath. Sides and inside of each board tooled with floral roll; contemporary marbled paper pastedowns. Spine divided into seven compartments by raised bands. Second compartment tooled with outer double fillet, dotted roll and border of circles, and the title: ‘MEDAILLES DE LOUIS LE GRAND.’ All other compartments tooled with the same border, with large fluer-de-lis in the corners, vines surmounted by the sun with a face, and the central crowned monogram of Louis XIV. | 46.0 x 6.0 cm (book measurement (inventory)) | RCIN 1076171
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This volume, produced in 1702 by the l'Imprimerie Royale in Paris, details the designs of medals issued during Louis XIV’s reign. It is celebrated for its ‘roman du roi’ typography, a ‘rational’ design of type using perfectly vertical axis and perfectly horizontal, symmetrical serifs, first produced by Jacques Jaugeon in 1695. Philippe Grandjean was commissioned to cut punches based on Jaugeon’s designs, and this modified type was used for the first time in the printing of this volume.
The frontispiece is signed as drawn by A. Coypel and engraved by Simonneau l'aîné; the portrait of Louis XIV which it incorporates is attributed in the Preface to Rigaud. Although none of the illustrations are signed, the last paragraph of the Preface states that two hundred were drawn by Coypel, the rest by Leclerc, and the borders and fleurons by Berain; that the engravings were by Mauger, Roettiers, Bernard et Roussel, Edelink, the Simonneau brothers, Audran and Picard ('Les connoisseurs distingueront bien le travail des uns & des autres').Provenance
Probably acquired before 1860.
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Creator(s)
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Medium and techniques
Contemporary red straight-grain goatskin binding; gold-tooled throughout. Design identical on both sides: outer border of one single and one double fillet, with small fluer-de-lis in each of the outer corners. In the centre, the three fluer-de-lis of France within a circle, surmounted by a crown and surrounded two chains, the inner with shells and the outer with fluer-de-lis and crowned ‘I’’s, with a medal containing the dove of the Holy Spirit (chains of St. Michael and Saint-Esprit); all surrounded by a wreath. Sides and inside of each board tooled with floral roll; contemporary marbled paper pastedowns. Spine divided into seven compartments by raised bands. Second compartment tooled with outer double fillet, dotted roll and border of circles, and the title: ‘MEDAILLES DE LOUIS LE GRAND.’ All other compartments tooled with the same border, with large fluer-de-lis in the corners, vines surmounted by the sun with a face, and the central crowned monogram of Louis XIV.
Measurements
46.0 x 6.0 cm (book measurement (inventory))
45.5 x 31.6 x 6.2 cm (book measurement (conservation))
Markings
annotation: "Large paper, original edition, with the supplemented Preface / Borders designed by Coypiel" {pencil} [Flyleaf, verso]
Category
