Lot 160
STUART, JAMES FRANCIS EDWARD
MERCURE GALANT DÉDIÉ A MONSEIGNEUR LE DAUPHIN
Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photography
Auction: 31 January 2019 at 11:00 GMT
Description
Paris: Michel Brunet, May 1708. 12mo, pp.413, [7], woodcut arms of the Dauphin on title, 2 folding engraved plates of music, contemporary French red morocco, gilt fillets on sides, large gilt arms on both covers of James Francis Edward Stuart as James III of Great Britain and Ireland, spine gilt in compartments, fleurs-de-lys in compartments, headcap with 5mm. split at head of joints, minor discolouration towards foot of covers, faded Jesuit stamp on title, half of small label at top outer corner of inside front cover, modern bookplate of Jacques Laget
Footnote
Note: A Rare Provenance. The Coat of Arms on this binding is one of two styles used by James Francis Edward Stuart, one as Prince of Wales, the other as King: see the University of Toronto, British Armorial Bindings (Online) for examples of both stamps. There is an example of the present stamp in the Blairs College Library in the University of Aberdeen. The BL has only an example of the Prince of Wales stamp. James VIII and III was recognsied by Louis XIV upon the death of his father in 1701. Early 1708 saw the first attempt at a French-backed Jacobite rising which fell short even of a landing, so by May 1708 James was recuperating in France, on the eve of his military career in the service of Louis.
Two curious features of this French binding are that in the motto surrounding the arms are the mis-spelling of 'pense' (here 'pence') and the introduction of an extra syllable after 'soit'. Thus here it reads 'Hony soit il qui mal y pence'.