LECOY DE LA MARCHE — Les Sceaux - Lot 163

LECOY DE LA MARCHE — Les Sceaux LECOY DE LA MARCHE (Albert). Les Sceaux. Paris: Maison Quantin, Compagnie générale d'impression et d'édition, 1889. “Bibliothèque de l'Enseignement des Beaux-Arts” series, edited by Jules Comte. Small 8vo, 320 pp., lavishly illustrated with reproductions of seals and documents in the text; title page bearing the publisher’s mark, decorated frontispiece. Later binding in full blue cloth, with blue marbled paper endpapers; the publisher’s illustrated covers have been preserved. First edition First edition of this important manual on sigillography, published in 1889 by Quantin. The date is confirmed in particular by the registration with the Ministry of the Interior in December 1889, as indicated on the reverse of the title page, as well as by contemporary and institutional bibliographic records. The work constitutes a particularly well-documented overview of the history and use of seals: the origins of seals and engraved stones, legislation, dies and impressions, seals of sovereigns, lords, cities, and guilds, ecclesiastical seals, inscriptions, modern stamps and seals, and collections of seals. Léopold Delisle, reviewing the work as early as 1890 in the *Bibliothèque de l’École des chartes*, emphasized that it was not merely a synthesis of previous research but also contributed new insights. He particularly noted the richness of the illustrations, with approximately 130 monuments reproduced, drawn largely from the collections of the National Archives. Another bibliographic description lists precisely 136 illustrations. Albert Lecoy de La Marche (1839–1897), an archivist, paleographer, and historian, devoted a significant portion of his work to the history and arts of the Middle Ages; *Les Sceaux* ranks among his reference works. This copy is bound in blue cloth, with the original covers preserved, which is a plus. The cloth is quite faded and sun-bleached, particularly on the spine and the edges of the covers, with a few small stains and signs of wear. The original top cover has a small scuff with a superficial tear. A few foxing spots and uniformly yellowed paper, but the interior remains clean overall. The binding is sturdy.