[Illustration: ROBERT ESTIENNE.]
Although in France, as elsewhere, we have to look to the printers of the
fifteenth century for originality and decorative beauty, some
exceedingly interesting Marks occur in the sixteenth, and are well worth
studying. We have only space for the enumeration of a few of the more
important. Of these, Pierre Vidoue comes well in the first rank. He was
one of the most distinguished of the early Parisian Greek typographers,
besides being a person of learning and eminence, and was issuing books
up to the year 1544; his edition of Aristophanes, 1582, published by
Gilles De Gourmont, is described as “a singularly curious impression,”
whilst ten years later he printed Guillaume Postel’s “Linguarum XII.
characteribus differentium Alphabetum,” which is described by La Caille
as the “first book printed in oriental character,” a statement, however,
which is incorrect so far as relates to the Hebrew. He had at least
three Marks, all more or less similar, in one of which, however, the
motto “ardentes juvo,” is supplemented by “par sit fortuna labori.” Of
the six Roffets who were printing or publishing books in Paris during
the sixteenth century, the most notable is perhaps Pierre, whose name
frequently occurs in the bookbinding accounts of Francis I.; of their
seven Marks, nearly all more or less of the same “rustic” character, the
most decorative is that of Jacques (see p. 30). In their separate ways,
the Marks of Mathurin Breuille, 1562-83 (p. 33), and Louis Cyaneus,
1529-46, each possesses a pleasing originality, the latter of which is
inscribed with the motto “Tecum Habita.” The two Wéchels, André and
Chrestien, were among the most eminent of the sixteenth century Parisian
printers, and between them employed over a dozen marks. All those of
André were variations of one type, namely, two hands holding a caduceus
between two horns of plenty surmounted by Pegasus. This had also been
used by Chrestien, of whose other Mark a reproduction is here given, and
of which there were several variations. Regnault Chaudière’s shop was in
the Rue St. Jacques, at the sign of “L’homme Sauvage,” which he adopted
for his Mark: this he appears to have changed for one emblematical of
Time when he took his son into partnership, and which, Maittaire thinks,
he may have borrowed of Simon De Colines, whose daughter (and only
child) he married. We give the largest of the examples used by Guillaume
Chaudière, 1564-98 on p. 28. Sébastien Nivelle, who was working during
the latter half of the sixteenth century until the third year of the
seventeenth century, is a very interesting figure in the typographical
annals of Paris. He was, at the time of his death at the age of eighty
years, the _doyen_ of the trade. His books were, for the most part,
beautifully printed. His shop was in the Rue St. Jacques at the sign of
the Two Storks, which he adopted for his exceedingly beautiful Mark, the
four medallions representing scenes of filial piety. His daughter was
the mother of Sébastien Cramoisy, “typographus regius,” who inherited
the establishment of his grandfather. Of the somewhat crudely drawn
Mark--an evident pun on his surname--used in or about 1504, by Guillaume
Du Puys, the sign of the shop being the Samaritan, a much more
decorative example was used, in various sizes, by Jacques Du Puys
(p. 10), who was a bookseller, 1549-91, rather than a printer. Equally
fine in another way is the tripartite example, given on page 130, used
by Guillaume Merlin in partnership with Guillaume Desboys and Sébastien
Nivelle, in 1559, and also with the latter in 1571. The Mark is the
interpretation of the four lines:
“Veniet tempus meissionis.
Non oderis laboriosa opera.
Homo nascitur ad laborem,
Vade, piger, ad formicam.”
[Illustration: P. VIDOUE.
AVDENTES IVVO
P. VIDOVÆ]
[Illustration: LOUIS CYANEUS.]
[Illustration: ANDRÉ WÉCHEL.]
[Illustration: CHRESTIEN WÉCHEL.