1650 – B. Moncornet – Ioannes Casimirus

Title:             “Serenissimus atq. Potentissimus Princeps ac Dominus D. Ioannes Casimirus D.G. Rex Poloniae, Magnus Dux Lithuaniae…”
                (The Most Serene and Most Powerful Prince and Lord John Casimir, by the Grace of God King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania…)
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Description:

This is an original copper-engraved portrait of John II Casimir Vasa (1609–1672), published in Paris by Balthasar Moncornet. John Casimir was the last Vasa king of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. His reign was marked by the Cossack uprising, the war with Muscovy and the Swedish “Deluge”. He abdicated in 1668 and died in France at Nevers in 1672.

The king is shown half-length in an oval, in Polish dress. He wears a tall fur kalpak with a jewelled clasp and a sweeping plume, and a fur-trimmed coat over a richly patterned żupan, with a jewelled brooch and a gold chain.

The Latin caption below gives his full title. It names him King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, Ruthenia, Prussia, Masovia, Samogitia, Livonia, Smolensk, Severia and Chernihiv, and hereditary King of the Swedes, Goths and Vandals. Smolensk, Severia and Chernihiv were all lost to Muscovy during his reign. The wording follows the official portrait of the king that Willem Hondius engraved in Gdańsk in 1650, after the court painter Daniel Schultz.

Balthasar Moncornet was a Paris engraver and print publisher on the rue Saint-Jacques. He is best known for his large series of portraits of the rulers and statesmen of Europe. The imprint “B. Moncornet excudit, Avec privilege du Roy” means he published the print under a royal license.

Author:                 Balthasar Moncornet (1600 – 1668)
Sheet size:            27,5 x 19,2 cm
Year:                      1650
Technique:          copper engraving

Reference:          Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, Paris, Genovefa digital collection, item 39661

Condition:
Very good. The impression is strong, with wide margins and a clear plate mark. An old collection number, “132”, is written in ink in the upper right corner of the sheet. There are a few tiny spots in the margins and light handling marks.

This is an original antique map published in 1650 and NOT a modern copy or reprint

On your request I will provide a Certificate of Authenticity