Frédéric Harnisch’s Selection

A few months ago, the auction house welcomed a new director to the Books & Manuscripts department: Frédéric Harnisch. An experienced specialist in rare and valuable books, here he shares his favourites from his department’s upcoming auction. The auction will be dedicated to the Max & Béatrice Cointreau Collection and contains a number of treasures that Frédéric Harnisch will share with us today:

Lots 6, 15, 69 and 76

“Max & Béatrice Cointreau’s library has at its core Rabelais, a contemporary of François I. The king returned from campaigning in Italy amazed by the flourishing arts he found there, and decided to let France experience its own Renaissance. Following on from Jean Grolier, his treasurer and a great bibliophile, French production of bound books drew inspiration from what he had seen on his travels beyond the Alps, and wax embellishments in particular.

The interlacing (which exists beneath an empty shape) is in colour thanks to a mix of pigments, beeswax, and honey. It is a relatively simple technique and sometimes contains flaws, but its play upon colours produces an effect that’s warm and emotive. I like the depth of the pattern just as much: the arabesques lie atop one another and intermingle, suggesting a highly decorative relief.”

Lot 73

“Not a single schoolchild in France escapes the tradition of learning by heart, recounting, and illustrating a La Fontaine fable. I always enjoy leafing through antique editions of the Fables, looking for the illustrations of the fables I myself learned, and sometimes finding one that I don’t know.

The edition of Fables in lot 73 is beautifully illustrated with copperplate engravings by Fessard, in the style of the artists of the day. These illustrations, in the bucolic style typical of the 18th century, depict beautiful animals in lovely landscapes. It’s impossible not to fall for the charm contained therein! The text, also engraved on copperplate, tends to reproduce the era’s calligraphy, and adds to the refinement of the book as a whole. In my view, this edition of a French classic fulfils every aspect of an illustrated book: the text and images are perfectly coordinated for the reader’s delight.”

Lots 2, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 30, 31, 36, 37, 41, 42, 47, 51, 52, 53, 62, 67, 81, 82, 106, 153, 158, 159, 165, 166 and 171

“Printer’s marks are extremely well represented in this collection, and were particularly interesting and inventive in that era. They fall into two categories: symbols or illustrations of the printer’s name.

Sébastien Gryphe (lots 2, 31, 42, 81, 153), for example, chose the griffon as his emblem, while Galliot du Pré (lots 10, 21, 30, 106, 166) plays on the homophone of his name, and decorates his work with a ship above which floats the motto “vogue la galée”. Gilles Corrozet (lots 36, 41) also plays on the sound of his surname, with a rose of many petals blooming atop a heart. Robert Granjon (lots 37, 158, 159) modifies the caduceus, with a snake and branch wound around a great trunk.

Other printers opted for symbolism, such as Jean Froben (lots 51, 52, 53), who also appropriated the caduceus, and the Marnefs (lots 18, 19, 67) who adopted the image of a pelican feeding its young. On the mark of Robert Estienne (lots 6, 7, 8, 12, 14, 22, 23, 47, 82), royal printer to François I, a man prunes the lower branches of an olive tree.

But my favourite is without hesitation the printer’s mark of Simon de Colines (62, 165, 171), that depicts two rabbits holding rings bearing the initials SDC, while a third is rushing down a hole and another peeking out from behind a tree trunk. The lovely little rodents remind me of those that play at the feet of the Lady and the Unicorn on the famous tapestry.”

Information
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Exhibition in Paris

6 December, 11am to 7pm

7 December, 11am to 6pm

8 December, 2pm to 6pm,

Auction in Paris

10 December - 2.30pm

Auction Contact
Juliette Audet

Tel. +33 1 42 99 16 58