An Essay in the History of Gold-Tooled
Bindings by Herbert P. Horne
London 1894
with the arms, crowned initial and device of François I. [G. 9052.]. But this simple binding, even
in its unmutilated state, was scarcely characteristic of the fine gilding of this period. On the richer
bindings executed for this king, the ornament usually consists of a floriated and interlaced fillet,
surrounded by a border: while the field of the panel'is studded with the crowned F and the
fleur-de-Iys. His arms are stamped in the centre of the boards; and his device, a salamander in
flames, is sometimes accompanied by the legend, 'Nutrio et extinguo': a binding of this kind, with
others of a simple character, is figured by M. Henri Bouchot, in Les Relt'ures d'art a la
Bz'blt'otheque Nationale [PI. XXVII. to xxx!.]. A far more remarkable piece of gilding executed for
this king, occurs on a copy of the Vulgate, Paris, 1538-40, in the Bibliotheque Nationale; of which
MM. MariusMichel publish a reproduction in La Relz'ure Franfaz'se [PI. 1.]. The principal
decoration of this volume consists in the repetition of a large tool, of the solid Venetian
character, which is associated with the name of Aldus. It is of the figure, which commonly occurs
as a centre-piece, on Venetian books; and it may well have been designed and cut by an Italian
workman. But the manner in which this tool is repeated over the field of the boards, so as to
form a kind of diaper, and the interspaces studded by the crowned F, is wholly and peculiarly
French.
The name of one bookseller, who bound for François I., has come down to us in Etienne, the son
of Pierre Roffet, called, Ie Faucheur. The imprint of a book published by him in 1534, Premz'er
It'vre de la Metamorphose d' Ovz'de translate du latz'n en franfozs, by Clement Marot, runs
thus: 'On les vend a Paris, sur Ie pont Sainct Michel, chez Etienne Roffet, diet Ie Faulcheur.'
Between the date of the publication of this book, and that of the' privilege,' 23rd February, 1539,
of another work, muvres de Hugues Salel, Roffet was appointed binder to the king; perhaps on
the death of Guillaume Eustace, whose name occurs in the catalogue of Lottin, under the year
1493, and who styles himself, on a book printed for him in 1514, 'libraire du Roy et relieur iure de
l'Universite de Paris.' A third book published by Roffet, in 1540, Briefve et
fructueuse exposition sur les Epzstres Saine! Paul aux
Romains et Hlbreux, par Primasius, translat! de latz"n en langue vulgaire franfoise par Jehan de
Gaigny, has the imprint, 'a Paris pour Estienne Roffet diet Ie Faulcheur, libraire, & relieur du Roy,
demourant sus Ie pont Sainct Michel a Lenseigne de la Rose': while on the imprint of a
translation from Lactantius, published by him in 1546, his sign is described as , la Rose blanche.'
Of the work done by this binder for the king, we have some evidence in the following entry,
which occurs in the accounts of the Master of the Chamber, and which is printed by the Marquis
Leon de Laborde in the second volume of his Comptes des Bdtiinents du Roi, Paris, 1877-80, vol.
ii. p. 233 :