Charles X - La Cavalerie - 1829





Add to your favourites to get an alert when the auction starts.

Specialist in old books, specialising in theological disputes since 1999.
Catawiki Buyer Protection
Your payment’s safe with us until you receive your object.View details
Trustpilot 4.4 | 137232 reviews
Rated Excellent on Trustpilot.
Description from the seller
CAVALRY BETWEEN DISCIPLINE AND SHOW: THE ORDINANCE AS A THEATER OF WAR FIGURING WAR
This imposing official publication of 1829, issued under Charles X, represents one of the last great attempts by the French monarchy to codify in a systematic way the traditional military art of cavalry, right at the threshold of political and technological transformations that would downsize its role. The work, organized in two distinct but complementary volumes, combines normative text and illustrative apparatus in a perfect synthesis of theory and practice: on one hand the rigorous regulation of maneuvers, on the other their visualization through detailed plates. More than a simple manual, it is a device for representing power, in which order, hierarchy and movement become visual and political language.
MARKET VALUE
Complete sets of this edition from l’Imprimerie Royale, in good condition and with all plates present, generally sell between 700 and 1,200 euros. Particularly fresh copies or those with premium bindings can exceed this range. The present copy, complete and in more than good condition, plausibly falls into the upper middle market range.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION - COLLECTOR'S COPY
Two volumes in Folio. Volume I with typographic text; Volume II composed of hundreds of engraved plates, folded and full-page, depicting figures of cavalry, exercises, formations and tactical movements. Frontispieces with a royal coat of arms engraved. Some wear to margins and spines and natural aging; in old books with a long history, certain imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (4); 2nn; 24; 390; 4nn; (4). (4); 2nn; 8; plates and maps bound at end; (4).
FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Ordonnance du Roi, du 6 décembre 1829, sur l’exercice et les évolutions de la cavalerie.
Paris, Imprimerie Royale, 1829.
Charles X, Roi de France.
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The 1829 Ordinance represents one of the last official codes of French cavalry before the major military transformations of the 19th century. It crystallizes a centuries-old tradition of discipline, geometry of movement and absolute control of the military body. The plates in the second volume, of extraordinary clarity and precision, visually translate the complexity of the maneuvers, making the work an indispensable tool for officers and instructors. At the same time, the work reflects a quasi-theatrical dimension of war: the evolutions of cavalry, codified and represented, become a display of power and order. Published just a few months before the fall of Charles X (July Revolution, 1830), this ordinance also holds the value of a historical document of a political and military system already nearing its sunset.
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Charles X of France was born in 1757 and died in 1836. The last king of the Bourbon dynasty before the July Monarchy, he reigned from 1824 to 1830. His government was characterized by an attempt to restore traditional monarchical authority, culminating in the ordinances of 1830 that led to his downfall. Under his reign, numerous administrative and military reforms were promoted, including this codification of cavalry exercise.
PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Printed by Imprimerie Royale, the work falls within the official production of the French state intended for military establishments. These editions, characterized by high typographic quality and precision in the engravings, were distributed mainly to officers and military institutions. The distinction between the textual volume and the atlas-like plate volume reflects a consolidated editorial practice for technical and military manuals of the period.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
BNF Catalogue général: Ordonnance du Roi… sur la cavalerie, Paris, Imprimerie Royale, 1829 (record to be checked for full collation of the two volumes).
WorldCat/OCLC: editions of the Ordonnance du 6 décembre 1829, with indications of text volumes and atlas of plates.
Service historique de la Défense (France): copies of Charles X’s military ordinances (cavalry section, 1829).
ICCU/OPAC SBN: records for nineteenth-century French editions of military regulations (specific edition of 1829 to be verified).
Seller's Story
CAVALRY BETWEEN DISCIPLINE AND SHOW: THE ORDINANCE AS A THEATER OF WAR FIGURING WAR
This imposing official publication of 1829, issued under Charles X, represents one of the last great attempts by the French monarchy to codify in a systematic way the traditional military art of cavalry, right at the threshold of political and technological transformations that would downsize its role. The work, organized in two distinct but complementary volumes, combines normative text and illustrative apparatus in a perfect synthesis of theory and practice: on one hand the rigorous regulation of maneuvers, on the other their visualization through detailed plates. More than a simple manual, it is a device for representing power, in which order, hierarchy and movement become visual and political language.
MARKET VALUE
Complete sets of this edition from l’Imprimerie Royale, in good condition and with all plates present, generally sell between 700 and 1,200 euros. Particularly fresh copies or those with premium bindings can exceed this range. The present copy, complete and in more than good condition, plausibly falls into the upper middle market range.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION - COLLECTOR'S COPY
Two volumes in Folio. Volume I with typographic text; Volume II composed of hundreds of engraved plates, folded and full-page, depicting figures of cavalry, exercises, formations and tactical movements. Frontispieces with a royal coat of arms engraved. Some wear to margins and spines and natural aging; in old books with a long history, certain imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (4); 2nn; 24; 390; 4nn; (4). (4); 2nn; 8; plates and maps bound at end; (4).
FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Ordonnance du Roi, du 6 décembre 1829, sur l’exercice et les évolutions de la cavalerie.
Paris, Imprimerie Royale, 1829.
Charles X, Roi de France.
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The 1829 Ordinance represents one of the last official codes of French cavalry before the major military transformations of the 19th century. It crystallizes a centuries-old tradition of discipline, geometry of movement and absolute control of the military body. The plates in the second volume, of extraordinary clarity and precision, visually translate the complexity of the maneuvers, making the work an indispensable tool for officers and instructors. At the same time, the work reflects a quasi-theatrical dimension of war: the evolutions of cavalry, codified and represented, become a display of power and order. Published just a few months before the fall of Charles X (July Revolution, 1830), this ordinance also holds the value of a historical document of a political and military system already nearing its sunset.
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Charles X of France was born in 1757 and died in 1836. The last king of the Bourbon dynasty before the July Monarchy, he reigned from 1824 to 1830. His government was characterized by an attempt to restore traditional monarchical authority, culminating in the ordinances of 1830 that led to his downfall. Under his reign, numerous administrative and military reforms were promoted, including this codification of cavalry exercise.
PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Printed by Imprimerie Royale, the work falls within the official production of the French state intended for military establishments. These editions, characterized by high typographic quality and precision in the engravings, were distributed mainly to officers and military institutions. The distinction between the textual volume and the atlas-like plate volume reflects a consolidated editorial practice for technical and military manuals of the period.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
BNF Catalogue général: Ordonnance du Roi… sur la cavalerie, Paris, Imprimerie Royale, 1829 (record to be checked for full collation of the two volumes).
WorldCat/OCLC: editions of the Ordonnance du 6 décembre 1829, with indications of text volumes and atlas of plates.
Service historique de la Défense (France): copies of Charles X’s military ordinances (cavalry section, 1829).
ICCU/OPAC SBN: records for nineteenth-century French editions of military regulations (specific edition of 1829 to be verified).
