I am confirmed in my belief that Jollat was the designer of the plates in question by the fact that his name is always accompanied by the dates, and that those dates are not those of the engraving, which I propose to prove. There are only five plates signed with Jollat's name and with the Lorraine cross in the Latin edition of Charles Estienne's book, published by Simon de Colines in 1545. In the following year the same printer issued a French edition of this work, under the title, 'La Dissection des parties du corps humain' (folio, 1546), in which we find two additional plates so marked and dated 1532. Why did not these plates appear in the first edition, if they were engraved by Jollat?
But here is another fact even more conclusive. In 1575 the bookseller Jacques Kerver published a volume of engravings without text, entitled 'Les Figures et portraicts des parties du corps humain' (folio), in which we find not only the seven engravings with the cross, of the edition of 1546, but three others, also bearing Jollat's mark and the Lorraine cross, and dated 1533. Evidently these plates appeared in some earlier edition, unknown to me,[388] for it was not Kerver who had them engraved; he simply made use of the woodcuts of which he had become the owner. But why did they not appear in the edition of 1546? That is a matter easily explained.
Charles Estienne informs us in the preface to his book that the printing was well advanced in 1539, but that it was interrupted by a lawsuit. We give his own words in the French edition of 1546: 'All of which things were well-nigh finished in the year 1539, and almost so far as the middle of the third book printed, when, by reason of a suit that was begun, we were forced (to your great discontent, methinks) to lay aside this work and to desist from the completion thereof; for so long that in the mean time it has been possible for many others to invent new ideas touching this matter, and to make use at their will of many sheets filled with our writings; for it was not possible for the printer so closely to safeguard his book, so long suppressed, that some persons curious to learn of novel things might not take away some sheets, still uncorrected, and send them into Germany.'
Now let us see what was the cause of this suit. Charles Estienne does not inform us, but it has been disclosed by M. Ambroise Didot, in his 'Essai sur la Gravure.' The famous Vésale had published at Venice, in 1538, through the printer B. Vitalis, a treatise on anatomy, embellished with numerous plates, which was copied in several places, and notably in Paris, despite the privilege granted by the Republic. Later, wishing to issue a new and improved edition of his book, Vésale applied to Oporin, professor of Greek, and printer at Basle, to whom he sent his plates, which had been engraved at Venice by Calcar, a pupil of Titian. In 1543 Oporin finished printing this new edition, for which the author had, no doubt, obtained privileges from various sovereigns, especially from the King of France. This seems to be proved by the suit instituted against Charles Estienne. That is why the latter could not publish, in his edition of 1545, all the plates which he had had made, and which appeared only at intervals as the date of Vésale's privilege was left behind. As we have seen, he gives it to be understood in his preface that it was he who was robbed in Germany.
As this is a favourable opportunity, I will say a few words concerning Jacques Kerver's publication, of which I have never seen any mention,[389] but which is of great interest to us. It is a folio volume, containing 61 large plates besides a considerable number of small ones. There is no other text than the explanations printed on the plates,[390] and a brief note to the reader, which begins thus: 'Friend reader, seeing that medicine is not at all essential to preserve the health and to banish all diseases, which often, on slight occasion, assail us, and that anatomy, or the description of the parts of the human body, mainly serves us therein, I have determined not to fail to exhibit them to you here.' We give a description of those plates in the book which are of interest to us.
Plates which appear only in Kerver's volume.
1. The human body in its relation to the signs of the zodiac (folio A 2 verso). This bears Jollat's name, the date 1533, and the Lorraine cross.
2 and 3. The human body in its relation to the seven planets (folio A 3 recto and verso). These two bear the same marks as the preceding.
Plates which appear in the edition of 1546.
4. Skeleton seen from the left side (folio 11 of the edition of 1546, and A 3 verso of that of 1575). Jollat's name, the Lorraine cross, no date.