Engraving of Maria Eleanore D’Este, wife of James II, by Nicholas Bonnart c.1695
$295.00 AUD
Interesting early copper plate engraving of a stylish seated lady, titled
“Maria Eleanore D’Este Reyne D’Angleterre”
engraved below “Chez N.Bonnart, rue St jacques, a l’aigle, avec pruil”
Printed by Nicholas Bonnart, Paris, circa 1695
Plate 112x168mm
Frame
21.3 x 16.5cm
great condition, well framed
Maria Beatrice Eleonora Anna Margherita Isabella d’Este was the second wife of James II (VII), before he became King. She was born in Northeast Italy, and a devout Catholic: when the 1688 ‘Glorious Revolution’ removed the Catholic influence from the British throne for the Protestant arrangement of William & Mary, Maria Eleonore d’Este fled to France to live in exile. The Jacobites knew her as ‘The Queen over the Water’. Louis XIV hosted the Royal family, and she never left, dying there in 1718. In Thi slate 17th century image, she is titled the Queen of England, not surprising the Catholic printer responsible, Nicholas Bonnart.
Nicholas Bonnart (c.1637-1718) was part of an artistic family at the centre of the French printing scene in later 17th/ 18th century France. He was the son of Henri, with brother Henri and Jean-Baptiste, and had a son, Nicholas II, all involved in printing & engraving. His widow & son kept the firm going after his death, until 1727.
The British Museum has a series of related images, although slightly larger, and with the printer’s inscription directly beneath the illustration, rather than at the base of the plate, as in this example.
No exact example traced.
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