Porny - [Pyron du Martre] - Heraldry - 1799

UNPUBLISHED TREATISE ON ARALDICS: MINIATED MANUSCRIPT OF PORNY ON ENGLISH ARISTOCRACY
Extraordinary autograph manuscript dated 1799 dedicated to the Elements of British heraldry, attributed to Antoine Pyron du Martre, known in England as Mark Anthony Porny, active master at Eton College. The work, entirely unpublished and not derived from any printed edition, stands as a true unique item: an original didactic manual conceived for aristocratic education, in which theory and practice intertwine through a refined series of coats of arms drawn with pen and finely watercolored. It is not a copy or transcription, but a direct intellectual product, probably intended for a high-ranking pupil. The volume represents an exceptional testimony of late eighteenth-century heraldic culture and its formative function among British elites.
MARKET VALUE
Original, unpublished heraldic manuscripts, attributable to figures active in the Eton environment, are extremely rare on the market. A specimen like the present one falls within a range of 5,000 to 10,000 euros.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Later full morocco binding, gilt spine, slightly discolored. Manuscript largely written on the recto. 128 manuscript pages with numerous heraldic emblems drawn in pen and finely watercolored, of notable execution quality. Paper with a watermark datable to 1799. Small tear on the lower margin of p. 65 without loss of text; uniform browning. Pencil signature “Edward Morant” on p. 1; bookplate of Charles Mackechnie Jarvis on the front pastedown. Flyleaves renewed. In old manuscripts with a long history, some imperfections may be present that are not always noted in the description. Collation: pp. (4); 6 ll.; 114; (4).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Heraldry.
Watermarked 1799.
Attributed to Antoine Pyron du Martre (Mark Anthony Porny).

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
In the context of late eighteenth-century aristocratic education, heraldry constituted a fundamental discipline, not only as antiquarian study but as a codified language of rank, descent, and noble law. In England, and particularly at Eton College, it integrated into educational programs for the ruling class.

This manuscript represents an exceptional case: not a copy of existing manuals, but an elaborate original, built as a direct teaching instrument. The structure of the text, together with the systematic presence of miniated examples, indicates advanced pedagogical use, in which the pupil learns not only the theory of blazonry but also the concrete visualization of the arms.

The graphic quality and internal coherence suggest a unitary project, probably created for a single recipient. In this sense, the manuscript is not only a study document but the blueprint for the realization of a work that was never published, on the transmission of heraldic knowledge.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Antoine Pyron du Martre (1731–1802), known in England as Mark Anthony Porny, was a French language teacher at Eton College and author of grammar manuals for the education of the British aristocracy. A prominent figure in the Franco-English cultural context of the eighteenth century, he contributed to the diffusion of French language and culture among the Georgian elites.

His teaching activity probably extended to complementary disciplines such as heraldry and genealogy, fundamental for noble formation. The present manuscript, in its structure and quality, fits coherently within this field, suggesting the author’s direct involvement in its drafting.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
As it is an original manuscript and not published, the work does not belong to a typographic tradition but to the rarer one of original book proofs. The watermark dated 1799 allows precise placement in the final years of Porny’s activity.

The possession signatures (Edward Morant) and the ex libris of Charles Mackechnie Jarvis attest to circulation among educated British circles between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, confirming the use and preservation of the volume within aristocratic and academic contexts.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, s.v. “Porny, Mark Anthony (Antoine Pyron du Martre)”, Oxford, OUP.
ESTC – English Short Title Catalogue, records of works by Mark Anthony Porny (Eton context and educational publications).
Boutell, Charles, Heraldry, Historical and Popular, London, 1863, pp. 45–78.
Woodcock, Thomas; Robinson, John Martin, The Oxford Guide to Heraldry, Oxford, 1988, pp. 11–56.
Wagner, Anthony, Heralds and Heraldry in the Middle Ages, Oxford, 1956, pp. 210–245 (tradition and heraldic teaching).
British Library, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts, sections on heraldic manuscripts (comparative typology XVIII century).