In 2005, Vence writer and historian Dominique Gardan came across a remarkable find in an old bookstore in Nice: a handwritten manuscript titled Monographie de Vence – 1887. This small book on the history of Vence, only 29 pages long (along with a drawing and a map), was never published. Written by a retired captain from the French Army, the monograph (a detailed written study of a single specialized subject) somehow survived for well over 100 years before it turned up in the Nice bookstore where Gardan stumbled upon it.
Gardan carefully transcribed the contents of the book and first circulated it in an article titled “Une monographie inédite de Vence (06) datée de 1887 rédigée par le capitaine Jean Baptiste Tronc” (“An unpublished monograph of Vence (06) dated 1887, written by Captain Jean Baptiste Tronc”). It was published in the 2006 edition of the Mémoires de l’Institut de préhistoire et d’archéologie Alpes Méditerranée – Tome XLVIII, a scholarly publication printed annually by the Institut de Préhistoire et d’Archéologie Alpes Méditerranée (Institute of Prehistory and Archaeology of the Alps and the Mediterranean – IPAAM), based in Nice.
Gardan also created a home-made, spiral-bound version of the book (along with some comments and additional photos). I was recently fortunate to come across one that I added to my collection of Vence-related materials. I’ve since seen another copy at the Vence Médiathèque (library), but I’ve no idea how many copies Gardan made.
Locating the Original Manuscript
Using the printed copy of Gardan’s work, I set about translating the book into English and attempting to gather more information about it and its author, Jean Baptiste Tronc. As often happens in these cases, I quickly found myself falling down a deep rabbit hole and getting completely lost in the mysteries surrounding this little book.
After I posted a question about the book on one of the Vence Facebook groups, I was told that the original manuscript could be found at the Vence Médiathèque. In his recreation of the book, Gardan had included an image of one page from the original manuscript. I was eager to see the entire book and, hopefully, take photos of all the pages to create a digital version of the whole thing.
I set off one recent morning to see if I could find the book at the Vence library. My initial attempt was discouraging. The woman behind the desk looked through some records on her computer and found nothing. After I provided her with some additional information, she mentioned that they might have a copy of the Mémoires de l’Institut de préhistoire et d’archéologie Alpes Méditerranée that included Gardan’s article. “No,” I said, “I’m looking for the original manuscript.” She looked again. “No, nothing,” was her reply. She did, however, send me downstairs to meet with one of her colleagues, who she said might be able to help me.
The librarian I met downstairs was very friendly and quite helpful. She took me down into the basement, where an extensive collection of Vence-related books and materials was stored. She looked through a few of the shelves but didn’t find anything of interest. “Do you have some free time?” she asked me. “Sure,” I replied. “OK, then, why don’t you look through all the books on this wall and see if you can maybe find it?” I was delighted to do so, and she left me alone to begin my search.
I had made my way through about a dozen shelves and was nearing the end of the books she had pointed me towards, and had still not found what I had come for. I was disappointed, but at the same time, a bit excited because I had found almost fifteen other Vence-related books and documents that I had never seen before. Then, on the very last shelf, I found it! Wrapped in glassine paper for protection, I knew it was what I was looking for as soon as I saw it.
I had assumed I would only be able to examine the book in the confines of the library since it is relatively rare, but to my surprise, I was allowed to check it out and take it home (along with the other books I had found), where I carefully made high quality scans of every page.
The Contents of the Book
The book is in excellent condition, especially considering its age. The cover, quarter bound with marbled paper boards, is immaculate, showing no wear whatsoever, even on the edges and corners. This leads me to believe that it was added relatively recently. Perhaps it was Gardan who added the cover after discovering the book.
A second “cover,” most likely the original cover, on dark, heavy, rough paper, contains the title of the book, hand-written in beautiful calligraphy: “Monographie de Vence 1887.” A subsequent page includes a short description and a quote from another Vence historian.
Vence
Ligurian settlement, Roman city,
Bishopric, Barony,
today
Chief town of the canton
of the Department
of the Alpes – Maritimes
It must have been a city of great
importance, which must have been inhabited
by people of high standing.
Bouche, History of Provence.
The book is divided into two distinct sections. The first 22 pages are dedicated to the history of Vence, covering the period up to 1794. Of these 22 pages, the first 16 are devoted to the Ligurian and Roman eras, up to about 500 AD. The following 1300 years of history are covered quickly and succinctly in the remaining six pages. Between pages 14 and 15 is a beautiful hand-drawn, fold-out map of the area highlighting the Roman roads of the time (the Via Julia Augusta going east to west through Vence, the Via Vintiana going south to north through Vence, and the Via Aurelia running along the coast). The map is drawn on semi-transparent drafting vellum and is about twice the size of the other pages.
Tronc included footnotes on nearly every page of this portion of the manuscript, a detail that demonstrates he consulted other sources in his research. In total, there are fifty of these footnotes.
The second section, beginning on page 23, details ten Roman artifacts still found in Vence, including the well-known “Marseille columns,” the two tribute stones now found on both sides of the entrance to the Vence Cathedral, several funeral stones, and the “Taurobolium stone.” Tronc includes an ink drawing of the two Marseille columns on a thick piece of lighter paper just before page 23.
You can read a more in-depth account of the Marseille Columns in this article: The Marseille Columns of Vence and the other Roman artifcacts in this article: Uncovering Vence’s Roman Legacy: Exploring the Roman Artifacts of Vintium.
The Physical Book
As mentioned above, the book features what I believe to be a recently added cover, quarter-bound with marbled paper boards. There are three pages of heavy, rough craft paper at the beginning and the end, added as part of the binding. The original manuscript appears to begin with a dark cover page, followed by a title page with a short description and a Vence coat of arms (see above). The coat of arms is a small square piece of paper that has been glued to the page. I’m guessing it was added at some later date (perhaps by Gardan?), but it’s possible that Tronc affixed it there.
The first two pages and the last six are printed on very lightly tanned ruled paper. The rest of the book is on a much darker, similarly lined paper. Many of the pages have had a small strip of clear protective tape added to the right edge and sometimes the bottom or left edge as well. Tronc wrote his book by hand on the front side of each page of paper. The backs are all completely blank.
All of the pages are in excellent condition. There are a few minor tears here and there, but overall, it’s incredible that the book is in such good shape. Tronc’s elegant 19th-century French cursive handwriting is characterized by a classical style and a very small script. While he left a large margin on the left side of each page, he wrote to the very, very edge of the right side. Gardan described his writing as “small and cramped” and noted that it was sometimes very difficult to decipher.
Jean Baptiste Tronc
Gardan conducted research on Tronc and was able to gather some basic information. Jean Baptiste Tronc was a Captain in the French Army. He was born in Vence in 1821 and grew up on rue Saint-Lambert at the corner of impasse Saint-Lambert. Embedded in the wall on this corner is an engraved Roman statue base. Gardan theorizes that this artifact may have sparked Tronc’s interest in the history of Vence, especially the Roman era.
Tronc’s father, Joseph Michel Tronc, was a property owner, and his mother was named Marie Angélique Giraud. Young Tronc joined the army in 1842 as a second-class soldier in the 49th Line Infantry Regiment and rose through the ranks to become a Second Lieutenant by 1852, when he married Jeanne Pierrette Rambaud, with whom he had four children.
Later in his career, he was assigned to the 17th Line Infantry Regiment, where he was a paymaster captain. After 32 years of service, he retired from the army in 1874 with a pension. It appears that he was not an especially adept soldier. Gardan found an evaluation of Tronc done in 1872, which read, in part: “Monsieur Tronc is a brave and honest man, a model husband, an all-too-good father… These private qualities make him worthy of respect, but he has no military qualities, not even those of his specialty as paymaster…” He appeared on the Legion of Honour register and was named a Chevalier before his retirement.
Tronc died in Vence in 1902. Gardan notes that he could find no trace of his grave in the Vence cemetery, nor any individuals living in Vence today who bear the same last name. He does note that some old Vence postcards from the early 1900s were sold under the name “Tronc-Fournade” and wonders if there might be some connection to Jean Baptiste.
We will never know where Tronc’s book languished for over a hundred years. Was it hidden away in the attic of some old Vence residence? Perhaps tucked into the bottom of an old family chest full of other memories and souvenirs? Or maybe it sat on someone’s bookshelf year after year, waiting to be discovered. And how exactly did it end up in the Nice bookstore where Dominique Gardan discovered it? Yes, the rabbit holes are deep.
Gardan’s Transcription
My copy of Gardan’s transcription contains 38 pages of text and 10 pages of images. Unlike Tronc, who placed each footnote at the bottom of the appropriate page, Gardan has moved them all to two pages at the end of the document. He’s also added a list of illustrations. The original manuscript contained only two illustrations (the Marseille Columns and a map – see above), while Gardan’s version contains eight additional photographs. All but one, a photo of page 6 of the original manuscript, depict the Roman artifacts Tronc writes about.
Gardan includes three pages of notes about the book, most of which are dedicated to his research on Tronc.
If you are looking for this book at the Vence Médiathèque the catalog number is MZ 930 TRO.
Fascinating! Thanks for shining a light on this interesting history!
Hi Sheri, glad you enjoyed this.