An Essay in the History of Gold-Tooled
Bindings by Herbert P. Horne
London 1894
number of the most costly bindings, executed between the years 1625, and 1645. It occasionally
occurs after the latter date: but meanwhile it had been used, and refined upon, with
extraordinary success, by 'the master of the coupled head,' who bound many of his smaller
books in this style, for which it is admirably adapted. But before describing his work, I must
speak of his personal history, which presents a problem, as confused and uncertain as that of
the Eves, or Du Seuil. This master is popularly supposed to be Le Gascon, a personage at one
time so mythical, that M. Henri Bouchot even doubted his existence. From documents, which
have lately been discovered, M.Thoinan concludes, that he was Florimond Badier: while a less
enthusiastic judgment might, perhaps, consider, that the whole question is still undecided.
The earliest document in the history of Le Gascon, appears to be the following, entry, in the
register of the guild of St. Jean, now preserved in the Bibliotheque N ationale, of certain
payments made to him, in the year 1622: Au Gascon, pour une peau de maroquin incamat pour
relier Ie missel du Concile, in-fol., que la Compagnie du sieur Chappelet et censors ont donne en
blanc a la Confrairie.. 41. IOS., Pour un sinet pour servir audit missel . 3t. IOS. , Pour une
bazane pour une housse audit missel. . . .. . ot. 7s.
It is to be concluded from this entry, that Le Gascon made a gift of his work, in binding this
Missal, to the Guild of St. Jean, of which he was probably a freedman, in the same way as
Sebastien Chappelet and his partners had of the book in sheets. Some further description of the
Missal is to be found in the same ~anuscript, where it is described, among the other goods of
the confraternity, as 'bound in purple morocco, tooled in gold (dore a petits fers), and covered by
a case of violet sheep-skin.' It was in use until 1645, when it was replaced by a new Missal,
bound by Gilles Dubois. Other fragments of the history of Le Gascon are to be gathered from the
letters of Dupuy and Peiresc. In the beginning of the year 1627, Le Gascon having, at the
instance of Dupuy, folded, beaten, and cut, certain books, that they might the more readily be
sent post to Peiresc, at Aix; the latter wrote in complaint to Dupuy, at Paris, that a copy of the
Opuscula Bellarmini had been cut to the quick.
Dupuy expressed his surprise, that Le Gascon should have committed this error, 'car il est assez
scrupuleux'; and Peiresc returned one of the damaged quires, adding some precautions,
whereby such fault might, in future, be avoided. From a passage in another letter dated 12
February, 1629, and addressed by the same writer to Dupuy, it appears that Le Gascon had
bound a copy of Tertullian intended to be sent, by Peiresc,