De Montigny's Le Villaige De Hodrumont 1597

DE MONTIGNY, ADRIEN (ca.1570-1615).
Le Villaige De Hodrumont 1597.
Watercolor and gouache on vellum.
ca. 1596 - 1598.
20 1/2" x 15 1/4" sheet, 26" x 21" framed.
Provenance: Originally from the Collection of Charles de Croÿ, Fourth Duke of Aarschot; ; his nephew, Alexandre d’Arenberg; by descent to Ludmilla d’Arenberg; her son Engelbert de Croÿ; by descent to the present owner; purchased at Sotheby’s, Western Manuscripts and Miniatures, sale: L01323, London, 19 Jun 2001, paid $1.8million for the entire collection.
According to JC Smith, nothing comparable has ever been created, in terms of extraordinary quality, size and decorative border. They are truly unsurpassed. Assembled over four hundred years ago, the collection of watercolor albums commissioned by Duke Charles de Croÿ constitutes one of the most remarkable historical records of the towns and villages of the Low Countries of the 16th and 17th centuries, and a foremost artistic expression of the French Late-Renaissance style. Each watercolor memorializes an estate or town that formed part of the dukedom, with the majority of these views surrounded by lavish borders comprised of combinations of natural history imagery, including cut tulips and other flowers, fruits and vegetables, and wildlife, including owls, peacocks, dogs, monkeys, and other animals.