Guillet de Saint Georges - Les Arts de l'homme d'épée - 1681

GUILLET [de Saint-George], Georges The Arts of the Man of the Sword, or the Dictionary of the Gentleman. Part One. Containing The Art of Riding on Horseback... and Part Two containing the Military Art. Second edition, revised by the Author, & augmented with several new Definitions. In Paris, at the Widow Gervais Clouzier, at the Palais, on the steps going up to the Sainte-Chapelle, at Le Voyageur, 1681. Together 2 volumes in-12 (approx. 9 x 15 cm) bound in full brown marbled calf of the period, backs with raised bands ornamented with gold floral motifs, title and pagination pieces in dark morocco. Contemporary bindings in full calf showing signs of wear and epidermises at the headpieces and bindings, but solid structures. Interiors generally sound, endowed with a fine old patina, paper well preserved despite some scattered foxing. A charming set, authentic and in period style. One folding plate torn. Dedicated to Monseigneur the Dauphin, this work by Georges Guillet de Saint-George (circa 1625–1705), a member of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, stands as an absolute classic of equestrian literature and the education of the perfect gentleman under Louis XIV’s reign. In the innovative form of an alphabetical specialized dictionary (L’Art de monter a cheval, ou le Manege), the author catalogues with exceptional precision all notions, definitions, dressage phrases, as well as the details of the illnesses of horses. It is a precious testimony on the French art of horsemanship of the classical era, at a time when Versailles and the great riding schools dictated the rules of haute école in Europe. At the end of the 17th century, the education of the young nobleman was not conceived without a perfect mastery of horse and sword. Georges Guillet de Saint-George had the brilliant idea of drafting this dictionary not only for professional horsemen, but also for young aristocrats on study trips or in military training. It is told that the book was so prized in the military circles of the Court that officers carried it on the field like a pocket breviary. Very rare!

Estimate:£211.54

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