Knight of the Golden Fleece and a Gothic and Arab Hunt, Spain, 1842

This original antique lithograph, colored by hand, is a plate from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842). In the upper image a knight stands with one arm held out, wearing a tall red cap banded in gold, a red gown and a long pink mantle edged with gold and scattered with small gold emblems; a collar with a pendant hangs at his neck and he gathers the mantle in his left hand. Beside him the badge of the order is drawn at large scale: a red ribbon, gold scrollwork with blue scrolls carrying a Latin motto, flame shaped red ornaments and a golden fleece hanging at the bottom. The lower image is an oval composition: riders, huntsmen and hounds circle its rim, with a Gothic building and colored hangings at the top, palm trees and a fountain at the bottom, and a long speckled panel at the center.

The top margin is lettered "Tav. 10" at left, "SPAGNA" in the center and, at right, "Tav. IV" as printed, where the other plates of the volume read "Tom. IV". The upper caption reads "Cavaliere del Toson d oro e suo distintivo" (Knight of the Golden Fleece and his badge) and the lower one "Caccia Gottica ed araba" (Gothic and Arab hunt).

The Order of the Golden Fleece was founded in 1430 by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, and passed with the Burgundian inheritance to the Habsburgs; the Spanish branch has been conferred by the kings of Spain. Its badge is a golden ram's fleece hung from a collar or ribbon, and its motto is "Pretium laborum non vile".

The strong reds and golds of the upper image make this one of the more colorful plates of the Spanish section.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.