Ferdinand Séré, Chimerical Beasts in Heraldry, Dragons and Griffins, 1851, Chromolithograph

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This is an original antique chromolithograph, printed in color with gold and silver, lettered "figures chimériques." twelve labeled shields in … Read more This is an original antique chromolithograph, printed in color with gold and silver, lettered "figures chimériques." twelve labeled shields in four rows of three show fabulous creatures: a red double headed eagle displayed on gold, a silver winged serpent over a gold mount on blue, a red chimera with a woman's head and body on silver, a silver dragon on blue, and a red serpent swallowing a child, coiled round a blue column on gold. Then come a gold griffin on red, a silver harpy on red, a gold unicorn rearing on blue, a red sea lion on silver, a red phoenix rising from flames on gold, a silver salamander in flames on blue and a red sphinx couchant on silver. The running head reads "pl. Xiii. Science héraldique". The labels are "1. L'aigle éployée, 2. L'amphiptère, 3. La chimère, 4. Le dragon, 5. La givre, 6. Le griffon, 7. La harpie, 8. La licorne, 9. Le lion mariné, 10. Le phénix, 11. La salamandre, 12. Le sphinx" (eagle displayed, amphiptere, chimera, dragon, serpent, griffin, harpy, unicorn, sea lion, phoenix, salamander, sphinx). The credits are "e. Hauger del. Et lith." and "chromolith. Lemercier r. De seine 57, paris.", with "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. 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