Mignard - [TEMPLIERS] Monographie du Coffret de M

lot/mignard templiers monographie du coffret de m tWjhHrY 633162970 / For sale

lot/mignard templiers monographie du coffret de m tWjhHrY 633162970

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lot/mignard templiers monographie du coffret de m tWjhHrY 633162970

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Mignard - [TEMPLIERS] Monographie du Coffret de M

Rarest first edition, printed in Paris in the year 1852, of "La Monografía del Cofre del Duque de Blacas", a controversial historical and esoteric study that analyzes a mysterious limestone chest found in a French castle in 1789, relating the Templars to heresy. During the trials against the Templars in 1307, they were accused of worshiping a strange head or bearded idol called Baphomet. When Mignard and other scholars of the time analyzed the carvings on the stone chest discovered in the old Templar commandery at Essarois, they claimed to have found exact visual representations of this idol. For occultists, the chest was the container of the order's secret rituals. This book, highly sought after by historians of esotericism and occultism, is illustrated with a famous fold-out engraving that meticulously details the bas-reliefs sculpted on the chest: a representation of Baphomet with both masculine and feminine features, inscriptions and strange symbols that the author, the French archaeologist Prosper Mignard, uses to support his thesis about heresy in the Order of the Temple. The chest was discovered in 1789 at the Castle of Essarois (the old Templar commandery) and was later acquired from a Paris antiquary by the Duke of Blacas, a prolific collector of French art. The central figure of the engraving shows Baphomet, the controversial bearded and androgynous deity, surrounded by celestial symbols that allude to universal duality: male and female, above and below, good and evil... Although in origin it was not a Christian demon, over time modern Satanism and organizations such as the Church of Satan adopted variants of its iconography, using it as a symbol of free thought, individualism, and social provocation. The engraving also features characters in mixed or cryptic alphabets (with influences from Arabic, Greek, and esoteric signs), which at the time were interpreted as formulas for secret invocation and initiation, linking warrior monks with secret societies of the Middle East. Flanking the main figures are stars that allude to the duality of good and evil. This engraving in particular caused a great impact in the 19th century, inspiring later occultists. The success of this work led, the following year (1853), to a published "Continuation of the monograph of the chest" by the same author. Complete work in one volume, preserving the fold-out engraving in perfect condition, somewhat uncommon. Beautiful parchment binding using a fragment of a 17th-century liturgical book printed in two colors. Strong and sturdy. This practice of recycling ancient manuscripts for binding, very common in the history of the book, is known to codicologists as "membra disiecta" (dispersed fragments). Original text in French. 30.5 x 24 cm. 280 grams. 97, [2] p.; fold-out. First edition, very rare. Prosper Mignard, Monographie du Coffret de M. le Duc de Blacas. Paris: Dumoulin, 1852 Ref. librería: C95390860875

Estimate:$788.15

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