43 - DU CHOUL (Guillaume). Discourse on the Religion of the Ancient Romans, written by the Noble Lord Guillaume du Choul, Counselor to the King and Bailiff of the Mountains of the Dauphiné. Lyon, Guillaume Rouillé, 1556. Folio (342 x 228 mm), contemporary Parisian binding in fawn calfskin; on the covers, within a frame of a brown border surrounded by two gilt fillets, extensive decoration consisting of interlacing and scrollwork painted in brown or gray wax, or left in reserve on a background dotted with gold, central cartouches in reserve set with fleurons highlighted with gray paint, bearing, on the front cover, the inscription “LOIS DE STE MAURE MARQUISZ DE NESLE,” and on the back cover, “CONTE DE IOGNY ET DE LAVAL”; smooth spine decorated lengthwise with volutes and scrolls painted in brown or left in reserve on a dotted background; decorated edges, gilded and chiseled with highlights of rust-colored paint.

DU CHOUL (Guillaume). Discourse on the Religion of the Ancient Romans, written by the Noble Lord Guillaume du Choul, Counselor to the King and Bailiff of the Mountains of the Dauphiné. Lyon, Guillaume Rouillé, 1556. Folio (342 x 228 mm), contemporary Parisian binding in fawn calfskin; on the covers, within a frame of a brown border surrounded by two gilt fillets, extensive decoration consisting of interlacing and scrollwork painted in brown or gray wax, or left in reserve on a background dotted with gold, central cartouches in reserve set with fleurons highlighted with gray paint, bearing, on the front cover, the inscription “LOIS DE STE MAURE MARQUISZ DE NESLE,” and on the back cover, “CONTE DE IOGNY ET DE LAVAL”; smooth spine decorated lengthwise with volutes and scrolls painted in brown or left in reserve on a dotted background; decorated edges, gilded and chiseled with highlights of rust-colored paint. First edition. This excellent work, based on the author’s extensive collections of ancient coins and medals—he was a renowned antiquarian from Lyon—as well as on a wealth of documentation, is of particular interest from a numismatic perspective, notably due to its rich iconography. Remarkably illustrated with 47 figures in the text—including five full-page illustrations—and 554 reproductions of medals, all woodcuts based on drawings by Pierre Eskrich, it is also one of the most beautiful illustrated books from Lyon of that era. A SUPERB AND PRECIOUS COPY, PRINTED ON HEAVY PAPER AND RULED, COVERED IN A STUNNING DECORATED BINDING OF THE PERIOD COMMISSIONED FOR THE BIBLIOPHILE LOUIS DE SAINTE MAURE, WITH A CELEBRATED AND EXTREMELY RARE PROVENANCE. ONLY EIGHT DECORATED BINDINGS FOR THIS EXTREMELY REFINED BIBLIOPHILE HAVE BEEN RECORDED, all of which were produced within a short period of time. In addition to the quality of its decoration, this volume is certainly, by virtue of its content, the most important and most beautiful of the eight. It had not reappeared at public auction since the Sotheby’s sale of December 19–21, 1921, lot 550, where it was acquired by Maggs Books. Perfect restoration to one spine; some signs of rubbing or missing wax in the decoration on the covers; corners skillfully repaired. Acquired by Émile Rossignol in 1948.