Book of Statutes and Ordinances of the Order of Saint Michael
Estienne Gomar (bookbinder to the King)
Vellum and calfskin
France, mid-16th century (1550 – 1559)
Ville de Paris, Musée Jacquemart André
Inv No. MJAP-Imp 737
Printed book with a binding bearing the coat of arms of King Henry II of France.
The Order of Saint Michael was a chivalric order whose original goal was to wed the upper nobility to the king through an oath of loyalty. L’aimable compagnie de monsieur Saint Michel (Order of Saint Michael) was founded by Louis XI in 1469 to match the Order of the Golden Fleece, set up by his rival, the Duke of Burgundy. In the aftermath of the Hundred Years' War, the order was placed under the patronage of the Archangel Saint Michael, Saint George having been captured by the English (both saints slay a dragon).
When in public, the 36 knights of the Order of Saint Michael wore a gold collar comprising linked scallop shells. The pendant was an effigy of Saint Michael. This collar had to be returned upon the death of its holder,
The conditions of admission were set out in the statutes. The political goal pursued by Louis XI was achieved by his successors, from Francis I to Henry II: none of the king's vassals dared turn down this distinction, or fall short of their commitments. But after the death of Henry II or France, the order lost much of its prestige by expanding excessively; under Louis XIV there were 1,000 members, few of whom met the admission conditions. Louis XIV reformed the order by turning it into an order of merit which civilians such as doctors, scholars, artists and architects could join. The Order of Saint Michael died out in 1830, under the reign of Louis-Philippe, who preferred the Legion of Honour.
You can see a copy of this collar on the armour attributed to Henry II of France in the Trésors d’armures room of this exhibition.