The Printed Book: Its History, Illustration and Adornment: From the Days of Gutenberg to the Present TimeBouchot, Henri
History
The Printed Book: Its History, Illustration and Adornment: From the Days of Gutenberg to the Present Time
Bouchot, Henri
Bookbinding -- History; Books; Books -- History; Illustration of books; Printing -- History
It is scarcely necessary to mention the Italian cities which followed
the movement. Venice from the middle of the sixteenth century had used
engraved frontispieces, among which was that of Domenic Zenoi for the
_Portraits des Hommes Illustres_ of Nicholas Valegio. In the same city
James Piccini worked for account of Sgava in 1648, but he was equally at
the service of Roman publishers, for whom he designed a number of
titles. Along with him Frederic Greuter adorned the publications of
Alexander Zanetti, not without talent, but without individuality.
Bologna, Brescia, Florence, and Naples, had no original sentiment; they
followed indifferently the manner of the day.
In Holland, artists were rather numerous. The family of the Passes
designed vignettes for books, and engraved frontispieces, admirably
studied and composed. The clear and truly personal style of their works
places their illustrations in the first rank among those of their time.
They had, at the same time, the genius that created and the intelligent
burin that faithfully translated an idea. They imagined with art the
scenes that they depicted without at all copying their predecessors.
From 1599, the date of the publication of the _Hortus Deliciarum_, one
of their best works, up to about 1623, they were in Holland, at Arnheim
and at Amsterdam. In 1623 we find one of them, the most celebrated,
Crispin the younger, designing figures for the _Manège Royal_ of
Pluvinel, published by Angelier in Paris, and for another edition, with
folding plates, in 1624 for William Lenoir, at the sign of the "White
Rose Crowned." This magnificent work, in which the King, Louis XIII., is
represented receiving lessons from the rider Pluvinel, had a third and
more complete reimpression in 1625 with another publisher, Michael
Nivelle. Here we see the Dutch accredited in France, in Paris, in the
city then the most ready to understand and pay for the works of eminent
artists. In 1624 Gombauld published an _Endymion_--Boileau later
associated Gombauld with other poets to declare him a maker of pitiable
sonnets--Nicholas Buon, the bookseller named above, undertook the
publication, and employed Pass, Leonard Gaultier, and J. Picart to
furnish plates in octavo size. Heavy and black as were these vignettes,
they do not the less make a good appearance in the edition of the
forgotten poet; and it is due to truth to recognise how much Pass was
above his collaborators. The following year, 1625, he engraved the
_Dionysiaques_ of Nonus, for Robert Fouet, and the _Roman des Romans_ of
Du Verdier, comprising more than ten engravings, in a very free and bold
manner. The _Berger Extravagant_ and the _Académie de l'Espée_ came in
1628, among numerous others.
[Illustration: Fig. 72.--Title of Pluvinel's _Manège Royal_, engraved by
Crispin Pass in 1624.]
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