Coronation of Louis XII and Order of Saint Michael, Antique Pair, 1882

A set of two original antique chromolithographs of the coronation of Louis XII and the Order of Saint Michael from Paul Lacroix's Louis XII et Anne de Bretagne, published in Paris by Georges Hurtrel in 1882, sold together as one set of two sheets. The first sheet reproduces Louis XII enthroned in the white robe of the Order of Saint Michael, presiding over its assembly of knights in white and crimson, with two white greyhounds at his feet and a painting of Saint Michael slaying the dragon on the wall behind. Below, two armored angels hold the arms of France inside the collar of the Order, beneath three lines of gothic script. The second sheet reproduces the coronation of Louis XII in Reims Cathedral in 1498: the young king kneels in a blue robe sewn with gold fleurs de lis while mitred bishops in rich copes stand at the left, a cleric holds the open gospel, and nobles bring forward the crown, the keys and the banner of France before a red altar.

The plates come from Louis XII et Anne de Bretagne, Chronique de l'Histoire de France, by Paul Lacroix, the prolific historian who wrote as the Bibliophile Jacob, published in Paris in 1882 by Georges Hurtrel, artiste-editeur, of 35 rue d'Assas. The title page announces fourteen chromolithographs, fifteen large plates outside the text and about two hundred drawings in the text, all taken from originals of the period, and the work was produced under Hurtrel's own direction. The plates were printed in many colors with gold by the Imprimerie Lemercier et Cie of Paris, whose imprint appears at the lower right of each, and lithographed by Nordman. The color is printed throughout, not applied by hand.

Both ceremonial scenes were lithographed by Nordman: the coronation of the king at Reims and the king presiding over his order of chivalry. The reign of Louis XII, 1498 to 1515, sits at the turn from the Gothic to the French Renaissance, and the plates of this book catch that moment in costume, ornament and ceremony. Framed alike in gilt or dark wood, the sheets make a rich group for a library, a dining room or a stair.

Light uneven toning, browner towards the edges. Handling soiling along the edges of both sheets. Foxing over much of the margin of both sheets. All corners complete on every sheet. Brown marks on both sheets.

These are original antique prints, not modern reproductions. They are two original sheets sold together as one lot, and the set is never split. This item is sold unframed.