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The bindings shown above are all linked by identical tools, fortunately we have fairly good idea of the chronology of some of these bindings. Probably they range from 1770 to at least 1786. It is interesting to note the intensive use of gold dots at the end of the series. This able binder appears to be a master of the classic dentelles of the 60's and may have apprenticed with a famous royal binder from that period. At the same time he uses tools in the same fashion as Jubert in the mid 80's. It would not surprise me if these two binders were about the same age and apprenticed with Derome, Douceur or Dubuisson. Unlike the work of Jubert we do not see the inclusion of any Derome tools or fers à l'oiseau in the decoration of these bindings. From the very first examples we see bindings of a very important and high standing. A 1776 Royal Almanach with the armes of Louis XVI. Somehow I doubt whether one goes from apprenticeship to royal bindings all that quickly. The almanach is unlike all the other bindings in as much as it is a simple dentelle of repeated imprints with no variation. The Marius Michel example (Planche XXII) is a 1785 or later binding that is again decorated with the armes of Louis XVI. Also note a Douceur influence in the tools, flowers anf floral motifs dominant. |
| In Comparative Diagram I show some very small tools, barely a centimeter in length. I doubt that you could correctly identify these tools without magnification, the difference is absolutely minimal and excessive gold in the imprint would effectively mask the differences. In Comparative Diagram 2, shown below I show a small tool that I am quite sure Derome never used but became very popular in the dentelles of the 70's and 80's. Again the differences between the Jubert and MM binder tools are minimal. A strange feature of the MM tool is the point of the left arm rising to touch the shoulder. This asymetrical difference is easily spotted and a sure sign of a MM binder dentelle. Douceur had a tool something like this, which may have inspired these later spin offs. |
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In Comparative Diagram 3, I show some very small tools, less a centimeter in length. I had to really search to find an example where we can actually see the slight inside step on the Jubert imprint (indicated by a green arrow), depending on lighting it is often invisible only in the Bibliotheque National Planche XXXIX can you really see this detail, actually there is a slight step on the opposite side of the Jubert example whereas the MM tool appears to be completely missing this detail. See also the red line in this diagram, indicating a difference in the symmetry of these tools. The Jubert example is more asymmetric with the inner barb placed lower on the right side. This is a tool that was used extensively by Dubuisson and Derome who had very similar tools. Below in Comparative Diagram 5, I have decided to include here high resolution examples of Dubuisson's imprint 9 as well as Derome le jeune, imprint 9, which is an actual scan.... if you buy a "Derome" binding and the imprint of this tool is not as shown here, then it is probably not a "Derome." |
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In Comparative Diagram 5, I show my actual thumbnail, which may be a bit larger than life on your screen, try to measure you thumb against mine to get an idea of the small size of these imprints. In the Comparative Diagram 6, shown below, I have assembled similar or nearly identical imprints that are found in both the Atelier MM binder and Atelier jean-Pierre Jubert. Both workshops from about the same period are using nearly identical tools. We cannot say who has copied who although some of the tools are copies of Derome or Dubuisson tools. The large leaf scrolls in the center are very interesting, very similar and perhaps typical of the style that followed the dentelles of the 60's, i.e. the Dentelles of Dubuisson and Derome. |
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