Menestrier - Science de la Noblesse - 1691

THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF EMBLEMS: MENESTRIER AND ARALDIC SCIENCE IN BAROQUE EUROPE
La Science de la noblesse ou la nouvelle méthode du blason del gesuita Claude-François Menestrier is one of the most influential treatises on heraldry in the late seventeenth century. Published in Paris in 1691, the volume proposes a modern systematization of European heraldry, presented as a genuine “science of nobility.” Through a clear discussion accompanied by engraved plates of coats of arms, Menestrier explains the rules of heraldic composition, the symbolic meaning of the figures, and the conventions that govern the representation of nobility in noble arms. This edition deeply revises Méthode du blason published in 1688 in Lyon and Paris, transforming it into an expanded work with numerous examples drawn in particular from the Belgian regions and the north of France.
MARKET VALUE
Treatises on heraldry from the seventeenth century, especially Claude-François Menestrier’s, are highly valued by collectors of nobility history, genealogy, and European heraldry. Illustrated editions with coats of arms plates maintain a steady market. Complete specimens of the 1691 printing in contemporary bindings generally fetch between 400 and 600 euros on the antique market, with higher values for copies particularly well preserved or with notable provenances.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Contemporary full-vellum binding with raised bands on the spine; some wear to the boards and spine. Engraved title page on copper. Ten plates of coats of arms engraved by burin, text-illustrations show the main heraldic forms and shield combinations. Provenances: ex-libris Fred. Vanden Bemden; Vyncke-Mertens. In old books, with a long history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); 20nn; 204; 16nn.
FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
La Science de la noblesse ou la nouvelle méthode du blason, pour apprendre facilement l’art des armoiries.
Paris, chez Michallet, 1691.
Claude-François Menestrier.
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
In the seventeenth century heraldry was not merely decorative but a discipline closely linked to the social and political structure of noble Europe. The emblems represented the identity of aristocratic families, marital alliances, and feudal rights.
Claude-François Menestrier, one of the most important Jesuit scholars of symbolism and genealogy, contributed decisively to the codification of modern heraldry. With La Science de la noblesse he proposed a didactic method to understand and interpret coats of arms, explaining the composition of shields, the meaning of heraldic figures, and the rules of blazoning.
The work represents an evolution of Méthode du blason published in 1688. The subsequent edition introduces numerous changes and expands the apparatus of examples, many of them drawn from noble families of the Belgian provinces and the northern regions of France, making the volume a new and autonomous contribution to heraldic literature.
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Claude-François Menestrier (1631–1705) was a Jesuit, historian, and one of the most important European scholars of heraldry and symbolism. Born in Lyon, he joined the Society of Jesus and devoted himself to the study of genealogy, ceremonies, and symbolic arts. He wrote numerous treatises on heraldry, on Baroque festivities, on emblems, and on the history of noble families. His works were widely disseminated in seventeenth-century Europe and helped to systematize heraldry as an erudite discipline.
PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
La Méthode du blason by Menestrier was first published in 1688 in Lyon and Paris. The 1691 edition represents a significant reworking of the original work, with important modifications and expansions that transform the text into a more complete treatise on heraldic science. The work enjoyed considerable diffusion among European scholarly circles, especially among genealogists, heraldists, and members of the nobility interested in codifying family arms.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Saffroy, Bibliographie généalogique, héraldique et nobiliaire de la France, I, n. 2212.
WorldCat, La Science de la noblesse ou la nouvelle méthode du blason, Paris, 1691.
ICCU / OPAC SBN, catalogues of Menestrier’s editions.
Michel Pastoureau, Traité d’héraldique, Paris, Picard.
Claude-François Menestrier, Méthode du blason, Lyon-Paris, 1688.