Richard Breton (1524–1571) was a French publisher of illustrated books in collaboration with François Desprez.
Biography Breton, the son of Guillaume Le Breton, was a publisher and book illustrator and bookbinder at the French court for Catherine de' Medici.H. Carter & H. Vervliet, Civilité Types, (Oxford 1966), p. 25 For his printer's mark he used an allegorical figure of Charity holding a Sacred Heart, with a crown, a sceptre, a mitre, and a hoe symbolizing labour.G. de Tervarent, Attributs et symboles dans l'art Profane, (Paris 1997), pp. 131, 210, 262 He collaborated with Philippe Danfrie, adopting Danfrie's musical type in his publications.A. Devriès-Lesure, 'Technological aspects,' in R. Rasch, ed., Music Publishing in Europe, vol. 1 (Berlin 2005) p. 70 Breton and his partner Francois Desprez bought Danfrie's dies and type in 1559.La Gravure Française à la Renaissance à la Bibliothèque nationale de France, (Los Angeles 1995), p. 42
Breton produced the costume book, , (Paris 1562) with 121 woodcuts, and a dedication to Henry of Navarre by his colleague François Desprez. The first edition was printed in Civilité type, a special italic typeface used for children's books. Two subsequent editions in Breton's lifetime employed roman type.
Breton published the pseudo-Rabelaisian , (Paris 1565), which featured 224 fanciful grotesque figures, and was also a collaboration with François Desprez.A. R. Jones, 'A 1562 Costume book,' in Yale French studies no 110, Meaning and its Objects, (Yale 2006), pp. 95-121 Four illustrations from the were used on a Scottish Renaissance painted ceiling at Prestongrange, in 1581. Nicolas Elphinstone gave James VI a copy, and another was in the library of Adam Bothwell, Bishop of Orkney who died in 1593.M. Bath, Renaissance Painting in Scotland (Edinburgh, 2003), pp. 116-8: G. F. Warner, Library of James VI (Edinburgh, 1893), p. lxiii.
At a time when the sale of Calvinist literature was permitted in France, Breton was active in promoting Protestant literature.G. Widenstein, 'L'imprimeur-libraire Richard Breton et son inventaire après décès, 1571,' in Bibliotheque d'humanisme et Renaissance 21,(1959), pp. 364-379 Richard married Jeanne Warnier, they had a daughters Jeanne and Anne, and a son Thomas. Richard's sister Nicole Breton married René Guillon, a teacher of ancient languages at the University of Paris.D. Pallier, 'Les Victimes,' in Le Livre et l'historien, 24, (Paris 1997), pp. 145, 152, 156
François Desprez The preface or letter of dedication for Breton's (1562) was signed by 'François De Serpz.' In this text, François claimed to have authored the book, and followed drawings of costumes made by others, including 'Roberval, sea-captain of the King.' Desprez, like Breton, was a Parisian bookseller and publisher. Some illustrations issued by him, including those of the (1567), are of lesser quality than the or the ..J. Porcher, 'L'Auteur des Songes Drolatiques,' in Melanges Offerts a Abel Lefranc, (Paris 1936), pp. 229-231 The exact roles of Breton and Desprez in the production of their illustrated book collaborations are unclear.
Desprez is also known as a designer and maker of embroidery for purses, as a 'Maistre Boursier.' He published a map of La Rochelle, and was recorded working in Paris between 1556 and 1580.M. Jeanneret, Les Songes Drolatiques De Pantagruel, (Paris 2004), pp. 9, 175-6
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Recueil des Habits (1564), digitized from the Bibliothèque Municipale, Tours, by Les Bibliothèques Virtuelles Humanistes Les Songes (1565), digitized from the Bibliothèque Municipale, Tours. Copy of the Songes at auction, Christie's