Six bindings are known which display in the centre of each cover a circular wreath enclosing a shield bearing the arms of an unidentified owner: Écartelé de gueules et d’or, la ligne du coupé denchée. Three of the books were printed at Basel in 1532, another at Basel in 1537, and the remaining two were printed at Florence in 1525 and 1534. Their owner evidently possessed a good command of Greek. On two bindings, the device “Elle ma faict Beavliev” is lettered around the wreath on upper cover, and the initials “P De B” appear in the same place on the lower cover (nos. 4, 6). Unfortunately, these initials have not yet enabled identification of the owner. Mirjam Foot proposed Pierre de Beaulieu (d. 1595), who was Conseiller au Parlement de Bordeaux (1577-1595), or his son (1578-1608);¹ however, no record is found of a grant of arms to this family. Another Pierre de Beaulieu (d. 1572), Conseiller, notaire et secretaire du Roy, bore different arms.²

This is one of the earliest armorial stamps of the modern type, impressed in gold, and positioned at the centre of the design. The first collector to order a series of armorial bindings was Benoît Le Court of Lyon, who adopted the custom about 1540. The fashion carried to Paris, where it was taken up by Jean Brinon, Cardinal Charles de Lorraine, and several unidentified collectors. Anthony Hobson surveyed the introduction of the style, identifying thirteen stamps in use by 1550, and recording their usage. One example of the present stamp was known to Hobson (Aristophanes; see no. 1 in List below).³

At least three of the bindings (Arsenius, Boccaccio, Callimachus, nos. 2-4) can be credited to the Pecking Crow atelier, a shop probably established in Paris about 1535, but most active from about 1545 to 1550.

Detail No. 1 : Aristophanes (upper upper) [link]

Detail No. 2 : Arsenius (upper upper) [link]

Detail No. 6 : Negri (lower cover)

Detail No. 4 : Callimachus (upper upper)

Detail No. 6 : Negri (upper cover)

list of bindings with this insignia

(1) Aristophanes, Comoediae novem cum commentariis antiquis (Florence: Heirs of Filippo I Giunta, 1525)

provenance
● unidentified owner, armorial supralibros
● Denis Salvaing de Boissieu (1600-1683)
● Martin & Félix Perrin with Pilot de Thorey, Catalogue d’une importante bibliothèque composée d’ouvrages anciens, rares et précieux, Grenoble, 13-18 December 1897, lot 605 & Pl. 7 (“v. br., dos à nerfs, plats avec encadrement fleuronné or, aux armes d’une famille inconnue, tr. dor. (Anc. reliure). Très bel exempl. de cette édit. rarissime, recouvert d’une fort belle reliure italienne du XVI siècle (en voir la reproduct. pl. VII).” [link])
● unidentified owner - bought in sale (FF 48)
● Sir Charles James Stuart, 2nd Bt (1824-1901), exlibris
● Sotheby Wilkinson & Hodge, Catalogue of a portion of the valuable library of the late Sir Charles Stuart, Bart, now the property of his brother, London, 29-30 June 1903, lot 194 (“old Italian binding, oaken boards, leather, with gilt frame ornaments and Coat of Arms in centres, g.e., rebacked, Fine copy”)
● J. & J. Leighton, London - bought in sale (18s)
● Joannes Gennadius (1844-1932) (?)
● Athens, Gennadius Library, Rare Book, B/GC 1941 (opac “Contemporary Parisian binding, brown calf gilt, stamped with arms of P. de Beaulieu”, “Ex-libris: Charles James Stuart, Bt.” [link])

literature
Anthony Hobson, French and Italian collectors and their bindings illustrated from examples in the library of J.R. Abbey (Oxford 1953), p.180 (“Appendix A. French armorial stamps used before 1550” no. 7: location “unknown”, “no suitable French claimant is recorded”)


(2) Arsenius Apostolios, Scholia in septem Euripidis tragoedias ex antiquis exemplaribus ab Arsenio archiepiscopo Mombasiae collecta (Venice: Lucantonio Giunta, 24 December 1534)

provenance
● unidentified owner, armorial supralibros
● unidentified owner(s), inscriptions “Monsieur de bressiens”, “Madame de bressiens”, two Bs interlaced, “Monsieur de (?) Lareche”, “Monsieur le bar” (Foot)
● Denis Salvaing de Boissieu (1600-1683)
● Martin & Félix Perrin with Pilot de Thorey, Catalogue d’une importante bibliothèque composée d’ouvrages anciens, rares et précieux, Grenoble, 13-18 December 1897, lot 604 (“v. br., plats avec encadrement fleuronné or, et aux armes d’une famille inconnue, placées au centre d’une couronne de lauriers, tr. dor. … Bel exempl. d’un volume très rare et recherché, recouvert d’une fort jolie reliure italienne du XVIe siècle, analogue à celle du n° suivant [Aristophanes, see above]” [link])
● Alfred Maria Fortunatus von Oberndorff (1870-1963)
● Sotheby & Co., Catalogue of the collection of valuable printed books, manuscripts and fine bindings, the property of Count A. Oberndorff, London, 6 July 1955, lot 18 (“contemporary Parisian binding for an unidentified collector, brown calf gilt, fleurons at corners, roll-tooled border of lace-work ornament, the owner’s coat-of-arms within a wreath in the centre of both covers, g. e., two ties … This armorial stamp, used by an unidentified collector, is no. 7 in the list given by A. R. A. Hobson in French and Italian Collectors’ Bindings in the Library of J. R. Abbey, p.180, and is one of the earliest armorial stamps of modern type. Only one other example of its use is recorded.”) [RBH NARWHALE-18]
● Bernard Quaritch, London - bought in sale (£48)
● Henry Davis (1897-1977)
● London, British Library, Henry Davis Gift 335

literature
Mirjam Foot, The Henry Davis Gift: A Collection of bookbindings, Volume 3: A Catalogue of South-European bindings (London 2010), no. 18 (“arms, possibly those of Beaulieu”)
British Library, Database of bookbindings [image, link] (“Arms possibly those of Beaulieu”)


(3) Giovanni Boccaccio, Ioannis Bocatii Peri Genealogias Deorvm [Greek], Libri Qvindecim, cum annotationibus Iacobi Micylli. Eivsdem De Montivm, Sylvarvm, Fontivm, lacuum, fluuiorum, stagnorum, & marium nominibus. Liber I. Huc accessit rerum, & fabularum scitu dignarum copiosus index (Basel: Johannes I Herwagen, September 1532)

provenance
● unidentified owner, armorial supralibros
● Claude Pellot (1619-1683), ink inscription “De la Bibliothèque de Mgr. Pellot premier président du Parlement de Normandie” on title-page
● Sydney Richardson Christie-Miller (1874-1931)
● Sotheby Wilkinson & Hodge, Catalogue of a collection of rare and valuable books and tracts chiefly Latin, French and Italian … The property of a Gentleman, London, 31 July-3 August 1917, lot 218 (“contemporary thick boarded calf with elegant gilt ornamental borders and centre lozenge-shaped frames enclosing a coat-of-arms, g. e. … inscription on title: ‘De la Bibliotheque de Mr. Pellot Premier President du Parlement de Normandie’”) [included in a list of Britwell sales by Seymour De Ricci, English Collectors of books & manuscripts (1530-1930) and their marks of ownership, 1930, p.110; RBH Jul311917-218]
● J. & J. Leighton, London - bought in sale (£6 10s)
● Sotheby Wilkinson & Hodge, Catalogue of the first portion of the famous stock of the late Mr. W.J. Leighton (who traded as Messrs. J. & J. Leighton), of 40 Brewer Street, Golden Square, W. (sold by order of the Executor), London, 14-19 November 1918, lot 134 (“contemporary French calf, with side borders of elegant gilt arabesque ornament … enclosing a coat-of-arms, ‘De la Bibliothèque de Mr Pellot, premier President du Parlement de Normandie’ written on title, g.e.”)
● Davis & Orioli, London - bought in sale (£2 2s)
● Christie Manson & Woods, Illuminated manuscripts … autograph letters … valuable printed books … historical bookbindings, London, 25 November 1992, lot 130 (offered among “Other Properties”; “Contemporary Italian? light brown calf, covers panelled in gilt and blind with rules and arabesque rolls, the large central lozenge containing a gilt shield encircled by a wreath, spine with raised bands and 18th-century red morocco lettering-piece, g.e. (some damage to surface of leather, neatly repaired and re-gilded)”) [link]
● Maggs Bros, London - bought in sale (£1000); their Catalogue 1157: Fine books & manuscripts (London 1993), item 10 (illustrated)
● T. Kimball Brooker (purchased from the above, 1992) [Bibliotheca Brookeriana ID #2069]
● Sotheby’s, Bibliotheca Brookeriana: A Renaissance Library, Magnificent Books and Bindings, New York, 11 October 2023, lot 17 online catalogue, link]
● unidentified owner - bought in sale ($6350) [RBH N11245-17]
● Antiquariat Inlibris Gilhofer Nfg. GmbH, Vienna [link]


(4) Callimachus, Hymni graecae (Basel: Johann Froben, 1532)

provenance
● unidentified owner, armorial supralibros, lettered (upper cover) “Elle m’a faict Beaulieu” and (lower cover) “P De B”
● Henry Joseph Thomas Drury (1778-1841)
● R.H. Evans, Catalogue of the extensive and valuable library of the Rev. Henry Drury, London, 19 February-23 March 1827, lot 768 (“fine copy, richly gilt binding”)
● Sowerby - bought in sale (19s)
● Thomas Shadford Walker (1834-1885)
● Sotheby Wilkinson & Hodge, Catalogue of the very choice collection of printed books and exquisitely illuminated manuscripts of the late T. Shadford Walker, Esq., London, 23-24 June 1886, lot 95 (“in the original old white calf binding, covered with gold tooling, the Beaulieu arms and Elle Ma Faict Beaulieu on obverse, and with the arms and P. de B. on reverse of cover, as centre ornaments, g.e.”)
● Bernard Quaritch, London - bought in sale (£1 5s)
● Joannes Gennadius (1844-1932)
● Sotheby Wilkinson & Hodge, Catalogue of the extensive and valuable library of manuscripts & printed books of His Excellency Monsieur John Gennadius, D.C.L., F.R.S.I., late Greek Minister at the court of St. James’s, London, 28 March-7 April 1895, lot 697 [link]
● J. & J. Leighton, London - bought in sale (£4 17s 6d)
● New York, Pierpont Morgan Library, 048492 (opac Contemporary French binding of white calf, gilt, with Beaulieu arms)

literature
Catalogue of a loan collection of ancient & modern bookbindings, exhibited at the Liverpool Art Club (Liverpool 1882), no. 67
Pierpont Morgan Library, Eighth annual report to the Fellows (New York 1958), pp.35-36 (illustrated)
Howard Nixon, Sixteenth century gold-tooled bindings in the Pierpont Morgan Library (New York 1971), pp.66-67 (“a quarto, bound in gold-tooled white leather, and bears on both cover unidentified arms, presumably those of Beaulieu, with on the upper cover the device ‘Elle ma faict’ and the name ‘Beaulieu’ and on the lower cover the initials P. de B. Two other bindings with the same arms are recorded [Aristophanes; Arsenius] … neither has the name or device”)
Mirjam Foot, The Henry Davis Gift: A collection of bookbindings, Volume 1: Studies in the history of bookbinding (London 1978), pp.130, 136
Paul Needham, Twelve centuries of bookbindings, 400-1600 (New York 1979), p.216


(5) Euripides, Euripidu tragodiai oktokaideka, hekabe herakles mainomenos. Evripidis tragoediae octodecim, hecuba hercules furens (Basel: Johannes Herwagen, 1537)

provenance
● unidentified owner, armorial supralibros
● Joannes Gennadius (1844-1932) (?)
● possibly Sotheby Wilkinson & Hodge, Catalogue of the extensive and valuable library of manuscripts & printed books of His Excellency Monsieur John Gennadius, D.C.L., F.R.S.I., late Greek Minister at the court of St. James’s, London, 28 March-7 April 1895, lot 1150 (“2 vol. contemporary Venetian calf covering oaken boards, gilt tooled ornamental borders, and diamond-shaped panels, with a coat of arms in centre, gilt edges”) [link]
● Bernard Quaritch, London - bought in sale (£2 17s 6d) [link]
● Athens, Gennadius Library, B/GC 1823 (opac 2 volumes; “Contemporary Parisian binding, brown calf gilt, stamped with arms of P. de Beaulieu”)


(6) Stefano Negri, Stephani nigri quae quidem praestare svi nominis ac studiosis utilia noverimus monimenta, nempe translationes: iconum philostrati: aureorum carminum pythagorae: athenaei collectaneorum: orationis de optimo principe musonii philosophi: de regiis muneribus Isocratis orationis. Adhaec opusculorum quae ipse aedidit (Basel: Heinrich Petri, August 1532)

provenance
● unidentified owner, armorial supralibros, the arms (effaced), lettered (upper cover) “Elle m’a faict Beaulieu” and (lower cover) “P De B”
● Saint-Étienne, Bibliothèque Municipale de Saint-Étienne [Médiathèque municipale, Saint-Étienne], ANC E5827

literature
Claude Longeon, Catalogue des incunables et des ouvrages imprimés au XVIe siècle conservés à la Bibliothèque municipale de Saint-Étienne (Saint-Étienne 1973), no. 94
Jean-Guy Girardet, “Livres, chers livres: les marques d’appropriation sur les livres des séries quarto et folio de la Bibliothèque Municipale de Saint-Étienne” in Des livres et des hommes: 1989-1999, edited by Alain Collet (Saint Étienne 1999), p.145