Crispijn de Passe II’s engraving, “Louis XIII”, 1611

Crispijn de Passe II (aka Crispin de Passe; Crispin van de Passe) (c1594–1670)

“Louis XIII” (aka “Lodewijk XIII”; “Ornamentvm Imperii”; “Christianissimvs”), 1611, plate three from the series of four engravings, “Les Princes de l’Europe” (aka “World Rulers”), after the design and published by Crispijn de Passe I (aka Crispin de Passe; Crispin van de Passe) (1564–1637) in Utrecht.

Engraving on laid paper trimmed with a thread margin around the image borderline on the top and sides and retaining the Latin text below the borderline, backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 18.1 × 22.2 cm; (image borderline) 16.5 x 22 cm.

Lettered on plate within the image borderline: (upper right) “CHRISTIANISSIMVS”; (left of centre on lower edge) “Tn vn […] gentem præposuit Rectorem. Ecclesi: 17”

Lettered on plate above the image borderline: (centre) “ORNAMENTVM IMPERII”.

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (an eight-line poem in four columns, followed by publication details) “Martia gens […] olymp, erit./ Crispian, Passa,: Inuent et excud.”

Lifetime impression (based on the quality of the line showing no sign of wear to the printing plate and the retention of fine guidelines for the lettered text).

Franken 432 (Daniel Franken 1975, “Scripta artis monographia: L'oeuvre gravé des Van de Passe”, vol. 19, Amsterdam, p. 66, cat. 430-433; see also Franken 1881, p. 66: https://archive.org/details/loeuvregravdesv00frangoog/page/n115/mode/2up); Hollstein Dutch 19 (Karel Gerard Boon [ed.] 1974, “Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts c.1450–1700: De Passe [continued]”, vol. 16, Amsterdam, Van Gendt & Co, p. 97, cat. no. 19).

The Rijksmuseum offers the following description of this print:

(Transl.) “Louis XIII as a child on a throne. He holds a sceptre in his right hand. Top left is a coat of arms. Next to the throne is an angel with a coat of arms with three lilies. In the background the festive entry of Louis XIII. In the middle under a Bible quote from Pr. 17 in Latin. In the margin an eight-line poem, in four columns, in Latin. Third print from a series of four with world rulers”

(http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.collect.160843).

Condition: a superb, richly-inked and well-printed impression, trimmed with a narrow margin around the image borderline on the top and sides and retaining the text below the image borderline. The sheet is in excellent condition and is laid upon an archival support sheet of millennium quality washi paper.

I am selling this near faultless impression of a rare engraving showing the King of France, Louis XIII (1601–1643), seated his throne as a boy, for AU$322 in total (currently US$228.86/EUR196.40/GBP178.78 at the time of posting this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world (but not, of course, any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries).

If you are interested in purchasing this historically significant portrayal of Louis XIII executed in the same time period when the king was still a boy, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold