[Numismatics. Fine bindings] Medailles de la Republique de Holande

Manuscript in pen, ca. 1700. 118 numb. lvs. w. text on 1 side only (occas. annotations verso), followed by over 40 blank lvs. Very finely bound in full gilt mor., front cover w. coat of arms of Paulin Prondre de Guermantes (1650-1723), back cover w. coat of arms of Jean-Louis d'Usson de Bonac (1672-1738), ribbed and gilt spine w. mor. letterpiece (non-orig.?), a.e.g., chintz endpapers. Folio.

Binding and corners sl. worn, but a very attractive deluxe binding. The coat of arms of Bonac (French ambassador in Sweden, Poland, Spain and Switzerland) on the back cover, neatly inlaid, replaces that of Prondre de Guermantes, which is preserved being loosely inserted. Paulin Prondre de Guermantes, sieur de Guermantes et de Bussy, was advisory secretary of the French king on his financial affairs, head of finances in Lyon (1702), and president of Chambre des comptes in Paris in 1713. An early description of Dutch medals, the oldest from 1342 (p. 109), the newest from 1684 (p. 106-8), possibly a collection (of Prondre de Guermantes?). Similar manuscript traced w. the same title from 1685, by Jean-Paul Bignon, Claude Gros de Boze and annotations in the margin by Marc-Antoine Oudinet.