Research Catalog

Title

Lart de cheualerie selon Vegece.

Author

Christine, de Pisan, approximately 1364-approximately 1431

Publication

[Paris] : Imprime ... par Anthoine Verard libraire demourant a Paris sur le pont N[ost]tredame a lymage Sainct Iehan Leua[n]geliste ou au Palaiz e[n]pres la chapelle ou on cha[n]te la messe de messeigneurs les p[re]side[n]s [that is, printed by Antoine Caillaut for Verard], [26 June 1488]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Vegetius Renatus, Flavius
• Frontinus, Sextus Julius
• Bonet, Honoré, active 1378-1398.
• Chartier, Alain, active 15th century
• Jean, de Vignay, approximately 1284-
• Jean, de Meun, approximately 1240-approximately 1305
• Verard, Antoine, -approximately 1513
• Caillaut, Antoine, active 1483-1506
• Marchant, Guy
• Du Pré, Jean, -1504

Description

[212] pages : illustrations; 29 cm (fol.)

Summary

The first book on military science published in French. "This book was compiled by Christine de Pisan mainly from the French translation of Vegetius by [or rather, attributed to] Jean de Vignai, with additions from the Arbre des batailles of Honoré Bonnor [also spelled Bovet or Bonet]. All mention of her name and sex, however, has been removed from the present edition"--Catalogue of books printed in the XVth century now in the British Museum (cited below). See also Lefèvre, Sylvie. "Christine de Pizan," in Dictionnaire des lettres françaises: le Moyen Âge, édition entièrement revue et mise à jour, 1994, pages 285-286: "La première [partie] s'inspire essentiellement de Végèce, la seconde de Frontin"; in the third part, the author relates a dream in which she is advised to make use of Honoré Bovet's Arbre des batailles and to ignore accusations of plagiarism directed at her.

Uniform Title

Livre des faits d'armes et de chevalerie

Alternative Title

• Livre des faits d'armes et de chevalerie
• Art de cheualerie selon Vegece
• Art de chevalerie selon Végèce
• Liure des fais darmes et de cheualerie
• Faits d'armes et de chevalerie
• Liure de droit darmes
• Livre de droit d'armes
• Douze vertus que vng noble homme et de noble couraige doibt auoir en son cueur et en sa memoire et en vser.
• Vii vertus que en noblesse doibt auoir et par especial es princes.

Subject

• Military art and science > Early works to 1800
• Virtues > Poetry > Early works to 1800

Genre/Form

• Incunabula – France – Paris.
• Woodcuts – France – 15th century.
• Woodcuts – Hand-colored – France – 15th century.
• Bookbinding (Binding) – France – 15th century.
• Furniture (Binding) – France – 15th century.
• Bosses (Binding) – France – 15th century.

Note

• Begins, leaf a2r: Cy apres sensuit le liure des fais darmes et de cheualerie.
• Colophon, leaf n4r: Explicit le liure de droit darmes subtilite & cautelle ad ce serua[n]s selon Vegece de lart de cheualerie.
• Imprint from colophon, where date follows "imprime" and is expressed: le xxvie iour de iuing mil CCCC quatre vings & huit.
• Recorded in some sources as a translation of Vegetius by Jean de Meun, or as compiled by Jean de Meun from Vegetius; see Brunet, J.-C. Manuel du libraire et de l'amateur de livres (5e éd.), v. 5, col. 1111; Short-title catalogue of books printed in France and of French books printed in other countries from 1470 to 1600 now in the British Museum, page 436.
• Name of printer from Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke and other sources; formerly given as Guy Marchant (Proctor, Macfarlane) or Jean Du Pre (Claudin), but see "Two unrecorded French-language incunabula from the press of Antoine Caillaut, with additional notes on his printing before 1492," by Paul Needham, in Hellinga, 1980, pages 347, 352.
• Printed in 2 columns. Bastard and Gothic types (identified by Proctor as Marchant's types no. 2 and 3, but by Needham as Caillaut's 111 B and 112 G); 33 lines to the full column. Initial spaces, some with guide letters.
• Signatures: pi⁶ a-l⁸ m-n⁶. Leaf n6 blank.
• Illustrations: 4 half-page woodcuts (approximately 100 x 138 mm), one at the beginning of each of the 4 parts, on leaves a1v, d7r, h1v, k7v. First used in Jean Bonhomme's edition of Jacques Milet's Destruction de Troie (Istoire de la destruction de Troye la grant), Paris, 1484; two were previously used in Les commentaires de Iulius Cesar, printed in 1486(?) probably for Verard and reprinted under Verard's name in 1488. See Macfarlane, "List of cuts," pages 134-136, nos. 2-4, and Illustrations no. VI-IX. "The illustrations are interesting on account of their 'modern' quality"--New York Public Library. Spencer Collection of illustrated books.
• Publisher's device beneath colophon, leaf n4r (Renouard, P. Marques typographiques parisiennes des XVe et XVIe siècles, no. 1087; Macfarlaine, "earlier device," page xxv and figure LXXVI). Calligraphic initial L on title page is Macfarlane's no. 3 (figure LVI).
• Spencer Coll. copy: The woodcuts are hand-colored. Two initials supplied in red on leaf a2r.
• Following colophon, on leaves n4r-n5v: "Icy sont declairees les douze vertus que vng noble homme et de noble couraige doibt auoir en son cueur et en sa memoire et en vser"; at end: "Cy sont les vii [i.e. xii] vertus que en noblesse doibt auoir et par especial es princes." In verse. "Les Douze vertus d'un noble homme reprennent les vertus citées par Alain Chartier dans le Bréviaire des nobles, mais le texte diffère et est beaucoup plus court"--Bibliothèque nationale (France). Catalogue des incunables. The virtues are Noblesse, Foy, Leaulte, Honneur, Droicture, Prouesse, Amour, Courtoissie, Diligence, Nectete, Largesse, Sobresse.

Indexed In (note)

• Incunabula short title catalogue
• Universal short title catalogue
• Goff, F.R. Incunabula in American libraries
• Hain, L. Repertorium bibliographicum
• Copinger, W.A. Supplement to Hain's Repertorium bibliographicum
• Claudin, A. Histoire de l'imprimerie en France au XVe et au XVIe siècle
• Klebs, A.C. Incunabula scientifica et medica
• Macfarlane, J. Antoine Vérard
• Bibliothèque nationale (France). Catalogue des incunables
• Hillard, D. Bibliothèque Mazarine (Catalogues régionaux des incunables des Bibliothèques publiques de France, v. 6)
• Proctor, R. Index to the early printed books in the British Museum
• Catalogue of books printed in the XVth century now in the British Museum
• Bayerische Staatsbibliothek Inkunabelkatalog
• Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke
• Library of Congress. Lessing J. Rosenwald collection
• New York Public Library. Spencer Collection of illustrated books

Additional Formats (note)

• Also available online (Bibliothèque nationale de France copy) via Gallica.

Provenance (note)

• E.M. Cox, Esq. (bookplate). An early owner's inscription (François? ? Bonnay?) in French on front pastedown; a later inscription on title page has been inked through. Two early owners' coats of arms are painted (superimposed) in a shield beneath the woodcut on leaf a1v, flanked by watercolor drawings of flowers.

Binding (note)

• 15th-century original binding of oak boards covered with tan leather. Sides plain with a circular metal ornament in each of the four corners and in the center of each side. Two-thirds of the front cover, the edges and part of the back are repaired by inlay; with remnants of two pairs of clasps and catches.

Call Number

Spencer Coll. French 1488+ (Vegetius)

LCCN

65059083

OCLC

751787095

Author

Christine, de Pisan, approximately 1364-approximately 1431, author.

Title

Lart de cheualerie selon Vegece.

Publisher

[Paris] : Imprime ... par Anthoine Verard libraire demourant a Paris sur le pont N[ost]tredame a lymage Sainct Iehan Leua[n]geliste ou au Palaiz e[n]pres la chapelle ou on cha[n]te la messe de messeigneurs les p[re]side[n]s [that is, printed by Antoine Caillaut for Verard], [26 June 1488]

Type of Content

text

still image

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Indexed In:

Incunabula short title catalogue, ic00471000 http://data.cerl.org/istc/ic00471000

Universal short title catalogue, 71028 http://ustc.ac.uk/index.php/record/71028

Goff, F.R. Incunabula in American libraries, C-471

Hain, L. Repertorium bibliographicum, *15917

Copinger, W.A. Supplement to Hain's Repertorium bibliographicum, *15917

Claudin, A. Histoire de l'imprimerie en France au XVe et au XVIe siècle, v. 2, pages 420-421

Klebs, A.C. Incunabula scientifica et medica, 1021.1

Macfarlane, J. Antoine Vérard, entry 6

Bibliothèque nationale (France). Catalogue des incunables, C-306

Hillard, D. Bibliothèque Mazarine (Catalogues régionaux des incunables des Bibliothèques publiques de France, v. 6), entry 610

Proctor, R. Index to the early printed books in the British Museum, 7980

Catalogue of books printed in the XVth century now in the British Museum, v. 8, page 74

Bayerische Staatsbibliothek Inkunabelkatalog, C-279

Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke, 6647 http://www.gesamtkatalogderwiegendrucke.de/docs/GW06647.htm

Library of Congress. Lessing J. Rosenwald collection, entry 398

New York Public Library. Spencer Collection of illustrated books, page 64.

Additional Formats

Also available online (Bibliothèque nationale de France copy) via Gallica.

Binding

15th-century original binding of oak boards covered with tan leather. Sides plain with a circular metal ornament in each of the four corners and in the center of each side. Two-thirds of the front cover, the edges and part of the back are repaired by inlay; with remnants of two pairs of clasps and catches. NN

Provenance

E.M. Cox, Esq. (bookplate). An early owner's inscription (François? ? Bonnay?) in French on front pastedown; a later inscription on title page has been inked through. Two early owners' coats of arms are painted (superimposed) in a shield beneath the woodcut on leaf a1v, flanked by watercolor drawings of flowers. NN

Local Note

Spencer Coll. copy: Wormed, very slightly affecting text at beginning of volume; affecting inscription on front pastedown.

Place of Publication

France Paris.

Added Author

Based on (work): Vegetius Renatus, Flavius. De re militari.

Based on (work): Frontinus, Sextus Julius. Strategematica.

Based on (work): Bonet, Honoré, active 1378-1398. Arbre des batailles.

Inspired by: Chartier, Alain, active 15th century. Bréviare des nobles.

Jean, de Vignay, approximately 1284- attributed name.

Jean, de Meun, approximately 1240-approximately 1305, attributed name.

Verard, Antoine, -approximately 1513, publisher.

Caillaut, Antoine, active 1483-1506, printer.

Marchant, Guy, attributed name.

Du Pré, Jean, -1504, attributed name.

Cox, Edwin Marion, former owner.

Added Title

Douze vertus que vng noble homme et de noble couraige doibt auoir en son cueur et en sa memoire et en vser.

Vii vertus que en noblesse doibt auoir et par especial es princes.

Research Call Number

Spencer Coll. French 1488+ (Vegetius)