Francois, duc d'Anjou.


La Joyeuse & magnifique Entrée de Monseigneur Françoys, fils de France. Antwerp: Christophle Plantin, 1582. Folio (320 x 210 mm). Title page with engraved border, 21 double-page engraved and etched plates (1 folding). Contemporary vellum with leather ties, custom cloth box. Horizontal crease in top cover, short tear in plate XVIII, some dampstaining.Provenance: Sarah Sophia Banks (1744-1818) antiquarian (ownership inscription on margin of preface); Richard Gurney; Paul and Marianne Gourary (book label on front paste-down; their sale, Christie's N.Y., June 12, 2009, lot 16).FIRST AND ONLY EDITION, with spectacular illustrations attributed to Abraham de Bruyn of the entry into Antwerp of Francois, Duke d'Anjou, the youngest son of Henry II and Catherine de Medici. Invited by William I, Prince of Orange (William the Silent) to become sovereign of the United Provinces, Francois entered Antwerp on February 19th, 1582 for his coronation. He had tried unsuccessfully to woo Queen Elizabeth I of England, but the marriage was unacceptable to the English public, and he was rejected. Berlin Katalog 2942; Funck 309; Destailleurs 222; Landwehr 38; Vinet 476; Voet 1211.