DU FOUILLOUX, Jacques

The ‘most esteemed of early books’ on the art of hunting, which ‘caused a stir amongst sixteenth century huntsmen, and the numerous editions of it which appeared within one hundred years of the first publication show how its popularity was maintained’; by 1888 it had been through 19 editions. The original binding of this copy makes it particularly remarkable, as copies were well used due to the text’s large and longstanding readership. Jacques Du Fouilloux (1519-1580) was a nobleman from Poitou and an avid huntsman; he dedicated his work to Charles IX of France, a fellow enthusiast, who wrote his own treatise on hunting, published posthumously in 1625. On the verso of the title page is a full page woodcut scene of Fouilloux kneeling before the royal court, his hat on the ground, as he presents a copy of the book to the king.

 The work addresses various hunts, including stag, wild boar, fox, badger, hare, wolf and bears. He comments on their patterns of behaviour, appearance and the specific techniques used to catch and kill them. Great attention and detail is also given on the subject of hunting dogs: the different types, how to raise, train and feed them, hunting instructions, as well as a rigorous list of cures and remedies for conditions such as earache, fleas, snakebite, etc… The hunting ritual is completed with a range of appropriate tunes for the horn together with lyrics. There are also a few labelled woodcuts of tools used to prepare the ground, including a post hole digger, mattock, spade, root cutter and dirt scoop.

The courtly nature of the text is highlighted in the various poems at the end of the work. One poem, titled ‘L’adolescence’, explores the author’s own youth, full of hunting parallels, while the ‘Complainte du cerf à Monsieur du Fouilloux’ considers a stag’s point of view as he laments being hunted, and the third is an ode to the pursuit of hunting.

A near encyclopaedic work on the art of hunting and a testament to its historical popularity.