Geofroy Tory Painter and engraver; first royal printer; reformer of orthography and typography under François I. — Story, Setting & Ideas

The Translator's Interventions

George B. Ives, the translator, does not merely render Bernard's French into English; he actively corrects and annotates the text. In the printer's preface, Ives notes discrepancies between descriptions in different sections of the monograph, often assuming the bibliographical section is more trustworthy. Where possible, he inspects title-pages or reproductions to correct minor errors in transcription. He also standardizes variant printer names (e.g., Dubois/Du Bois) without forcing uniformity, reflecting the original books' inconsistencies. The translator's notes are enclosed in square brackets, and he credits Mr. J. W. H. Walden for translations of Tory's Latin writings, including the complete text of the brochure on the death of Tory's daughter Agnes. This editorial layer adds a scholarly dimension, making the English edition a collaborative refinement of Bernard's original.

Evidence from Engravings and Printer's Marks

Bernard's iconography relies heavily on physical details of engravings and printer's marks. For example, he describes a border with a shield bearing three crowns in chief and tears in the field—the sign of Gilles de Gourmont—supported by a lion and a griffin, with angels holding shields inscribed E and G for Egidius Gourmontius. The Lorraine cross appears at the foot, a recurring signature Bernard uses to attribute works to Tory. In the Enchiridion preclare ecclesie sarum (1528), he notes that the 12 calendar engravings are enclosed in oval borders measuring 71 by 55 millimetres, out of proportion to the book's 84 by 48 millimetre size, suggesting they were not originally made for it. Such observations ground attributions in material evidence rather than speculation.

Structure and Scope of the Iconography

The iconography section, absent from the first edition, now dominates the monograph. It includes detailed lists of engravings, such as the 54 plates in the Enchiridion, each described by subject (e.g., The Trinity, The Annunciation, Dance of the Dead) and often noting the presence of the Lorraine cross. Bernard also records variations between copies, as with the Encomium trium Mariarum (1529), where the Bibliothèque Mazarine holds two copies—one on paper, one on vellum—with slightly different title-pages. This attention to copy-specific details reflects Bernard's method of building a corpus through comparison of physical artifacts. The iconography's length, exceeding the biography and bibliography combined, underscores its role as the core evidentiary foundation for Tory's oeuvre.

Readers should approach Bernard's attributions with the same caution he himself shows, noting where he differs from other authorities. The translator's corrections and the inclusion of Latin originals in appendices provide tools for independent verification. This edition is best used as a reference for tracing Tory's influence on French typography and orthography, with the understanding that the iconography represents Bernard's reasoned but not infallible judgments.

The rain kept me indoors with Geofroy Tory, tracing his letters and woodcuts until my eyes blurred. Then my hand drifted to a shelf, settling on the Biographical Catalogue of the Portraits at Panshanger, the Seat of Earl Cowper, K.G. — Reading Notes. Portraits, like typefaces, hold faces in a fixed form. It felt less like a detour than a quiet echo of Tory’s own obsession with preserving identity on paper.