Costume du Moyen Age: d'apres les manuscrits, les peintures, et les monuments contemporains

Very good collection of hand-coloured woodcuts of French medieval costumes.

Two volumes complete with all plates, 14 in volume 1 and 136 in volume 2.

150 finely coloured fashion plates based on old master paintings by Giovanni di Ser Giovanni, Froment Nicolas, Stefan Lochner, Gentile Bellini, Simone Martini; uncredited costume illustrations by Leopold Massard, Charles Hamilton Smith, etc. and illuminated manuscripts such as the Titius Livius, Romain de la Rose, tapestries, grave effigies, etc.

Woodcuts by Belgian artists At. Pannemaker, Evrard Duverger, H. Estaquier, Clerman, CD, etc. All finely handcoloured, many finished in gold.

Mainly featuring the 14th and 15th centuries, the selection is a riot of colour, bling, drape and finery. Dandies in hanging dagged sleeves, ridiculous long-toed shoes poulaines, lords and ladies in armorial robes with their coats of arms displayed, dames in ermine-lined surcotes and tall hennin headdresses, chaperon hats with long tails, velvet, satin, brocade and swag.

Subjects include Louis IX and Charles VI of France, Emperor Maximilien, Geoffrey Chaucer, Plutarch's Laura, Doge of Venice, Edward III and Henry VI of England, Joan of Arc, crusader knights, Eleanor of Portugal, Margaret of Anjou, Marie of Hainaut, Anne of Brittany, etc.

With many trades people such as artisans, mercenaries, merchants, courtesans, servants, troubadours, crossbowmen, falconers, soldiers, peasants, from Britain, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands as well as France.

Jacques Joseph van Beveren (1817-1855) was a Belgian writer. In addition to this survey of medieval costume, he also assisted Auguste Wahlen on his study of world costume, Moeurs, Usages et Costumes de Tous les Peuples du Monde, from the same publisher in 1843.

Half shagreen leather with four raised bands, gilt title and tooling, slightly scuffed, marble boards rubbed and scratched. First 16 plates and text pages in Vol. 2 standing slightly proud, with resultant damage to page edges. All other plates clean and bright with vivid contemporary hand colour, many finished in gold. A few plates with light foxing or edge toning, but most unaffected.

Text in French.