GOURDELLE Pierre Rarissime recueil de 60 dessins originaux du XVIe siècle aquarellés en couleurs sur 50 feuillets, représentant des oiseaux européens et exotiques -[Album of ornithological watercolours].

G.D. Hobson, les Reliures à la Fanfare, le problème de l’S fermé, 1970, p. 4, n° 13; Museum national d’histoire naturelle, catalogue général des manuscrits, p.267, mss 1914.

One of the earliest French albums of ornithological drawings preserved in a magnificent Parisian fanfare decorated binding, called by Hobson “fanfare de type primitif”. An exquisite monument of French Renaissance art and science.

The 60 drawings depict both French and international specimen of birds including birds used for hunting and falconry. One drawing depicts a Phoenix – frequently used mythological specimen, present in the French literature of the time.

The album had been closely examined for the exhibition organized at the Chateau Chantilly in 2003 where the Pierre Berès collection was presented to the public. It appears that the drawings relate very closely to the woodcuts used for the highly important work by Pierre Belon (1518-1564), L’Histoire de la Nature des oiseaux, published in Paris in 1555. The curator of the exhibition established that theses drawings preceded the publication of the book, as the introduction states that Pierre Gourdelle was one of the contributors.

“Mais entre les autres, ne voulants celer les noms de ceux qui nous y ont le plus servy, avons usé de l’artifice de maître Pierre Goudet [sic!] Parisien, peintre vrayment ingenieux” (Pierre Belon, Histoire de la Nature des Oiseaux, Paris 1555, Epistre au lecteur, leaf aiiii/r).

The art of Gourdelle (or Gourdet) in his implication in the publishing of the work by Belon was also recognized by one of the great connoisseurs of Master drawings. In his Abecedario, Pierre-Jean Mariette declares that “Pierre Gourdet a dessiné d’après le naturel presque tous les oiseaux qui se trouvaient dans le livre” (Abecedario, éditions de Nobele, p. 324).

Active in the second half of the 16th century, Pierre Gourdelle, close to Clouet and the court, had married Suzanne Caron, daughter of Antoine Caron (1521-1599), the appointed court painter to Catherine de Medici and King Henry II of France. Gourdelle worked for Catherine de Medici and the Guise and Clèves families.

The date of the paper production corresponds precisely to the artistic activities of Gourdelle hence the attribution to the gifted painter. The album is composed of paper bearing the watermark described in Briquet under numbers 13170 and 13154 – a paperstock used before 1555. Each sheet has been carefully prepared and rubricated at the time. The fly leaves correspond to Briquet n° 8078 and were supplied by Nicolas Lebé and can be placed and dated at Nancy, 1566.

Only one other album of the same quality is recorded in institutional collections. It is housed in the library of the Museum national d’histoire naturelle in Paris and preserved in a similarly richly gilt and decorated binding. We could not trace any earlier French collection of ornithological drawings.

List of drawings : 1. Gallus / Coq 2. Cuculus / Coucou 3. Aquila Marina / Aigle de mer [eating a fish] 4. Accipiter / Esparvier 5. Subteo / Hobereau 6. Calidirs / Chevalier 7. Perdix / Perdis 8. Gallina Rustica / Gellinette de Boys 9. Torquata / Cane Petiere 10. Gallopavus / Poulle Dinde. With the following note : “The small Bustard shot on Mr Banks estate in Dorsetshire 1781 – sent to Sr A. Lever – not supposed to have been in England but common in the South of France” 11. Otis / Ostarde 12. Sthio Africus / Autruche 13. Perdix / Perdris 14. Coturnix / Caille 15. Aluco / Hibou 16. Vespertilio / Chauve Souris 17. Asio / Moien Duc 18. Bubo / Hibou 19. Hematopus / Pie de Mer 20. Colurio Minot / Pie Grièsche 21. Molliceps / Jay 22. Picus Maximus / Picmart 23. Turtur / Tourterelle 24. Fasianus / Fesan 25. Psitacus / Perroquet 26. Cicognia / Cigogne 27. Anas Libica / Cane de la Guinée 28. Phalaris / Piète 29. Boscas / Cercelle 30. Boscas / Sarcelle 31. Anas / Canard 32. Anser / Oye 33. Colimbus / Plongeon 34. Colimbus Major / Plonjon 35. Pivoin – Rouge Gorge – Verdier [3 drawings] 36. Regulus / Roitelet – Parus Minor / Petitte Mésange – Apus / Martinet Pescheur [3 drawings] 37. Thrapupis / Tarin – Linaria / Linotte – Carduelis / Chardonneret – Parus Major / Mézanange [4 drawings] 38. Papegay – Bréan [2 drawings] 39. Falco / Faucon 40. Buteo / Sacre 41. Graculus / Gioram (devouring a snake) 42. Stellaris / Autour 43. Vultur / Vautour 44. Milvus / Milan 45. Aquila / Aigle 46. Cencris / Crecerelle 47. Gallina Africana / Poulle de la Guinée 48. Pelicanus / Pelicus, Pelicam [3 drawings: mother and two chicks] 49. Phenix / Phenix 50. Pavus / Paon

This marvellous piece was certainly made to be part of a wunderkammer where would have been gathered Artificialia (made by men) and Naturalia (made by God), what La Croix du Maine called “room of marvels”.

Provenance : Unknown patron to order the drawings – Member of the Richouftz family (painted coat of arms at the beginning of the volume), German family allied to the Gueldre and Clèves, moved to France in the early 16th century and participated at the battle of Marignan. Eric de Richoufs was naturalised by Francis 1st – Possibly Thomas Ballard (auctioneer in London with a long note on the inner cover detailing the drawings and suggesting a provenance from “Groglieri” “This came of the collection of M. Groglieri, a French nobleman who resided at Venice and was famous for having an exceeding fine library of books mostly bound in a very elegant rich manner and great number of them printed on a particular sort of fine paper which he procured to be made for his own uses. Said library was sold in France about fifty years ago & produced a large sum of money“) – Unknown English owner (note on the drawing leaf 10 depicting a Turkey) – Thomas Snodgrass (XXth century book plate) – Bulletin Morgand, March 1909, n° 427 (with reproduction) – H.P. Kraus (New York Bookseller. Purchased by Pierre Berès in January 1949, with his coded price on lower cover – Pierre Berès (Pierre Berès, 80 ans de passion, sale IV, Le Cabinet des livres, 20 June 2006, lot 16) ; Private French collection.