Porny - [Pyron du Martre] - Heraldry - 1799

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MANUSCRIPT MINIATURED ON PORNY ON ENGLISH ARISTOCRACY: AN UNPUBLISHED TREATISE ON ARMORIAL ART
In Folio, an 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, a master active at Eton College. The work, entirely unpublished and not derived from any printed edition, stands as an authentic unique specimen: an original didactic manual conceived for aristocratic education, in which theory and practice intertwine through a refined series of pen-drawn and finely colored heraldic arms. 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 18th-century heraldic culture and its formative role among British elites.

WHY TO BUY
UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT OF 1799 – An authentic heraldic unique, never published, consisting of 128 manuscript pages and datable with precision thanks to the watermark.
HIGHLIGHTED HERALDRY – Numerous arms drawn by hand and finely aquarelle-painted transform the manuscript into a spectacular visual repertoire of the British aristocracy.
ATTRIBUTED TO MARK ANTHONY PORNY – The attribution links the volume to the Eton College educational milieu and the formation of English elites at the end of the 18th century.
A BOOK BORN FOR THE ARISTOCRACY – More than a simple treatise, it is a document of the culture of rank, genealogy, and noble education in Georgian England.

MARKET VALUE
Original heraldic manuscripts, unpublished and attributable to figures active in the Eton environment, are extremely rare on the market. A specimen like the present one sits in a range between 5,000 and 10,000 euros.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Later binding in full Morocco leather, gilt spine, slightly discolored. Manuscript mainly written on recto.
128 manuscript pages with numerous heraldic arms drawn by pen and finely aquarelle-painted, of notable execution quality. Paper with watermark datable to 1799.
Small tear on the lower margin of page 65 without loss of text; uniform browning. Pencil signature “Edward Morant” on page 1; ex libris of Charles Mackechnie Jarvis on the front pastedown. New guards.
In antique manuscripts, with a multi-century history, there may be some imperfections not always evident in the description.
Collation: pp. (4); 6 pp.; 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 18th-century aristocratic education, heraldry formed a fundamental discipline, not only as antiquarian study but as a codified language of rank, descent, and noble rights. In England, and particularly at Eton College, it was integrated into educational programs for the ruling class.

This manuscript represents an exceptional case: not a copy of existing manuals, but an original elaboration, built as a direct didactic instrument. The structure of the text, combined with the systematic presence of miniature examples, indicates an advanced pedagogical use, in which the student learns not only the theory of blazoning but also the concrete visualization of arms.

The graphic quality and internal coherence suggest a unitary project, probably created for a single recipient. In this sense, the manuscript is not merely a study document, but the project 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 the author of grammar manuals intended for the education of the British aristocracy. A prominent figure in the Franco-English cultural context of the 18th century, he contributed to the diffusion of the French language and culture among the Georgian elites.

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

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
As an original manuscript and unpublished work, the piece does not belong to a printing tradition but to the rarer one of drafts of original books. The watermark dated 1799 allows a precise placement in the final years of Porny’s activity.

The possession signatures (Edward Morant) and the ex libris of Charles Mackechnie Jarvis testify to circulation in educated British circles between the 18th and 19th centuries, confirming the use and conservation 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 teaching of heraldry).
British Library, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts, sections on heraldic manuscripts (comparative typology XVIII century).