Vie de Duquesne | 1855 French Naval Biography in Decorative Cartonnage

A handsome French biography of the celebrated seventeenth-century naval commander Abraham Duquesne, published anonymously as Vie de Duquesne, par un Officier de Marine. Printed in Rouen by Mégard et Cie in 1855, this volume recounts the life and military career of one of France’s most distinguished admirals.

The volume is presented in its original decorative publisher’s cartonnage binding. The text is accompanied by an engraved frontispiece depicting Duquesne aboard ship. An attractive feature is the elaborate gilt-and-green patterned cloth trim visible along the inner edges of the boards, a refined detail that complements the binding.

This is a quintessential example of French decorative publishing in the mid-19th century — combining literary charm with elaborate gilt artistry and a hand-painted vignette. Such bindings were often produced as treasured gift books, making them highly sought after by collectors of cartonnage and fine French literature.

Binding tight; wear and small loss at the bottom of the spine. Note photos for details.

Size: 4 1/2” x 7 1/4”

A beautiful nineteenth-century French volume for collectors of maritime history, French military biography, and decorative cartonnage bindings.