The Sea of Histories

The page illustrates a battle scene. On the outskirts of a walled city and against a backdrop of skirmishes, a sovereign advances, surrounded by warriors. Full-page engraving opens the chapter of the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius (1st century AD). It comes from a work of the "Mer des Hystoires" ("Sea of Stories"). 

The "Mer des Hystoires" is an adapted version in French of a vast history (written in Latin), which begins with the origins, and ends with the death of King Louis XI.

It has been revised and updated several times, drawing on a diverse array of sources: the Bible, the Church Fathers, and numerous authors from Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages.  

The first edition of "La Mer des Hystoires" was published in 1488, the last in 1550. In total, it has twenty-one editions.

From 1491, the bookseller began to introduce full-page engravings borrowed from other contemporary works, and did not hesitate to use several copies in the same book. Consequently, the images fit the text to varying degrees.  

Despite this somewhat tenuous connection between text and image, "La Mer des Hystoires", which features numerous elegantly engraved full-page illustrations, is regarded as one of the most beautiful illustrated works from the early days of printing.