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Richly illustrated authorative guide on the art of heraldry and coats of arms
by one of the most important 17th-century heralds

MÉNESTRIER, Claude-François.
Abbregé methodique des principes heraldiques ou du veritable art du blason.
Lyon, Benoist Coral, 1665. 12mo. With an engraved title-page (still dated 1661, as in the first edition), a double-page engraving of the coronation of Charles I, King of Naples and Sicily, and 8 (of 10) engraved plates with a total of 209 (of 293) figures, nearly all coats of arms, with all plates coloured by a contemporary hand. Also with small woodcut coats of arms in the text. Polished gold-tooled tan calf (ca. 1840/49) by F. Koehler. [24], 111, [9] pp. plus frontispiece and plates.
€ 2,750
Rare second edition of a classic, richly illustrated manual of heraldry, one of the principal publications of one of the most important heralds of his time, Claude-François Ménestrier (1631-1705). It explains the principles of heraldry and how they influenced the art of blazoning coats of arms, their origins and the meanings of their ornamentation and designs. To illustrate his theories, he includes many illustrations of coats of arms, showing the designs or serving as examples, particularly of the coats of arms of French noble families, which are also described in the text. It brings together all the fundamental information on the subject for everyone who wants an abridged, clear manual of heraldry and coats of arms. The present 1665 edition uses the plates for the first editions engraved title-page (still dated 1661) and coats of arms, while several were replaced in later editions. Claude-François Ménestrier was a French herald and member of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits).
Lacking two plates (to face pp. 82 and 92, apparently those numbered III and V in the contents (though it confusingly gives the impression they should be II and IV), each with 42 coats of arms. Some marginal stains and browning in a few leaves, some of the colouring has offset from a few plates to the facing pages, but otherwise in very good condition. The rare second edition of a heraldic classic. Backer & Sommervogel V, col. 908, no. 16; Brunet III, col. 1627; WorldCat 562181761 & 474004963 (1 copy); for the binder: Fléty, p. 100; Ramsden, p. 113.
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