Proposition concernant le payement et la police des troupes du roy, qui produira à Sa Majesté une finance de six millions deux cens soixante mille livres inventée et proposée par le baron de Sparre, circa 1740

Art Historical Context

This striking book cover, crafted in rich crimson leather, displays an elegant symmetry typical of fine French bindings from the mid-eighteenth century. Intricate gold tooling forms a continuous border of scrolling vines, leaves, and small floral motifs that frame a central oval medallion. Within the medallion appears a royal crown above a shield bearing three fleurs-de-lis, while delicate corner ornaments complete the restrained yet opulent design. The volume contains a proposal invented and submitted by Baron de Sparre around 1740, offering the French crown a projected revenue of more than six million livres through reforms in the payment and discipline of royal troops. Its luxurious binding is associated with the celebrated binder Padeloup, whose workshop produced such refined work for court and aristocratic patrons. Now part of the Metropolitan Museum’s Libraries, the book illustrates how administrative documents of the period could be presented with the same care and artistry as literary or devotional texts.

About the Artist

Baron de Sparre|Padeloup ( |French) · | – |

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