PARADIN Claude Devises Héroïques.

Landwehr, Romanic, 564; Cartier, 379; Brun, 266.

Second, enlarged edition with this new text and more richly illustrated. 

Illustrattions include a title within decorative woodcut border and 182 emblems in the text by Bernard Salmon of which 64 have been created espcially for this edition.

“The first Protestant collection of religious devices, a book which played a very important role in the European emblem tradition” (Landwehr). The emblems show, amongst others, the famous salamander for King François I, the triple crescent for King Henri II, the flower and sun for Marguerite of Valois, and Diane de Poitier’s device.

“This second edition of 1557 offers a version of the text which is markedly different from that of the original edition published by De Tournes in 1551. There the work was much smaller, containing only 118 devices, whereas the 1557 edition contains 182. But more significantly the nature of the work is changed: the original version giving a set of basic devices comprising woodcut figure plus motto, is transformed in 1557 by the addition at the end of each device of a French commentary explaining its significance, and identifying the person who used it, or – in the case of the unattributed devices – the universally applicable lesson which could be derived from them. In this new form – which became the norm for subsequent editions – Paradin’s work is thus far more informative and overtly moralistic than in its original text-free form” (Alison Saunders, “Claude Paradin’s Devises heroïques”, French Emblems at Glasgow website, Glasgow University Library).

Fine copy, except a small waterstain and worming to the white margin of the last quire.

Bound in at the beginning is an incomplete copy of:

OGIER, François. Apologie de Monsieur de Balzac. Paris, Claude Morlot, 1627.