Ferdinand Séré, Heraldic Tinctures and Furs, Lacroix, 1851, Chromolithograph

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This is an original antique chromolithograph, printed in color with gold and silver, lettered "émaux et fourrures." twelve shields are … Read more This is an original antique chromolithograph, printed in color with gold and silver, lettered "émaux et fourrures." twelve shields are set in four rows of three on a cream ground, each with its name above. The first rows give the plain tinctures: gold, silver, blue, red, green, black and purple. They are followed by ermine, with black tails on silver, and counter ermine, with pale tails on black, then vair in blue and silver, counter vair in red and silver, and a final shield of orange. The running head reads "science héraldique. Pl. Ii." the shields are labeled "1. Or, 2. Argent, 3. Azur, 4. Gueules, 5. Sinople, 6. Sable, 7. Pourpre, 8. Hermine, 9. Contre-hermine, 10. Vair, 11. Contre vair, 12. Orange", the french blazon names for gold, silver, blue, red, green, black, purple, ermine, counter ermine, vair, counter vair and orange. The credits are "f. Séré del. Et lith." and "chromolith. Lemercier", and the caption "émaux et fourrures." (tinctures and furs) is followed by "f. Séré direxit." le moyen âge et la renaissance, histoire et des mœurs et usages, du commerce et de l'industrie, des sciences, des arts, des littératures et des beaux-arts en europe was edited by paul lacroix, who also wrote as the bibliophile jacob, with ferdinand séré as artistic director, and it was published in paris in five volumes between 1848 and 1851. Its plates reproduce objects, manuscripts, seals and ornament of the middle ages and the renaissance, and every sheet carries a running head naming the work, the section and the plate number. The science héraldique plates of the fourth volume set out the vocabulary of french blazon in sequence, each shield labeled with the term it illustrates, so that the series reads as an illustrated glossary of heraldry. Framed singly or hung as a run of the heraldry plates, the sheet suits a library, a study or a hallway. Condition: light age toning, a little darker toward the edges; occasional small spots in the margins; light handling wear to the corners. This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed. See less