STRADANUS, Joannes (1523-1605). Equile, in quo omnis generis generosissimorum equorum ex variis orbis partibus insignis delectus. [Venice:] Marcus Sadeler, [before 1648].

STRADANUS, Joannes (1523-1605). Equile, in quo omnis generis generosissimorum equorum ex variis orbis partibus insignis delectus. [Venice:] Marcus Sadeler, [before 1648].

Stradanus's series depicts the horses of Don Juan of Austria, Governor-General of the Netherlands from 1576 to 1578. The present lot contains the plates copied (i.e. commissioned by) Marcus Sadeler in reverse. Don Juan of Austria was the illegitimate son of Charles V and a half-brother to Philip II (1555-1598), King of Spain and the Netherlands. He collected horses from all over Europe, and the plates are captioned with the name of the place of the horse's origin. In addition, the horses are placed into landscapes reflecting their origins (e.g. the Neapolitan's backdrop is the Bay of Naples), although Stradanus observed his subjects in an interior riding school. Dejager 106; Mennessier II, 537; Nissen ZBI 4011.

Oblong folio (284 x 400mm). Engraved title, dedication and 40 plates with Latin verse captions (plates 8 and 9 with light marginal staining, the plate of the centaurs with vertical 'crack' from misprinting due to crease in the paper, variable scattered spotting). Modern library cloth.

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