Matthäus Merian I Carosel made at the Place Royalle... Lot 46

Matthäus Merian I Carosel made at the Place Royalle in Paris on V.VI.VII April M.DC.XII, 1612, etching after Chastillon, 39 x 48.7 cm, plank cut on three sides, small lower margin (Hollstein 43 ii/ii), beautiful and rare proof, several skilful restorations visible on the reverse, a small hole in the subject. "The carrousel of 1612 is certainly one of the most famous carrousels of the European courts of the Ancien Régime. A pompous display to celebrate the matrimonial alliance between France and Spain, it consecrated the power of Marie de Medici in the heart of Place Royale, now Place des Vosges. ...] Consecrated as an unparalleled triumph, the 1612 carrousel gave rise to numerous publications: prints and placards, official relations and seditious libels. And it was at the heart of this process of imaging and writing that his posterity was situated. "(M. Baudière, "La fortune gravée et imprimée du carrousel de 1612", Chroniques de l'éphémère, INHA, online September 21, 2010).