‎THOMAS DE LEU ( Thomas de Leeuw - Thomas Le Leup - Thomas Deleu ) - (1560 - 1612 ) :‎
‎Vera Effigies S. Francisci. Complete suite : engraved title + 25 engravings.‎

‎" S.l. (Paris) ; s.d. ( after 1602 -before 1612), format oblong in-4°, print size 138 x 180 mm. Paper size 190 x 285 mm. The suite consists of an engraved title + engraved frontispiece + 24 plates (numbered 2 - 25). Bound in modern imitation leather. Some plates with faint waterstains or dust soiling; title page with some minor and marginal soiling. On the whole a good quality copy with large margins. The title page (without date or place of imprint) depicts Saint Francis within an architectural border. On either side of the portrait are two engraved dedications to the widowed princesse Marie de Luxembourg, duchess of Pentheure. Her husband Philip Emanuel de Lorraine died in 1602; therefore the printing date after 1602. The frontispice gives another portrait of St. Francis surrounded by the smaller portraits of the four virtues. All the plates are signed ''Thomas de Leu ex.''. The plates numbered 2 ->25 have a bi-lingual caption (Latin and French) which explains or comments the depicted scene. Some of the plates depict miracles performed by St. Francis. At the end is bound in a similar plate which obviously does not belong to the suite. Thomas de leu was born in Oudenaarde ( actual Flanders, Belgium) and learned engraving in Antwerp. Around 1578 he moved to Paris. The style of the engravings show clearly the Antwerp influence from designers and engravers such as Stradanus, Maarten De Vos etc.. This suite is apparently quite rare. OCLC lists only four copies : Nat. Libr. of Schotland and University of Barcelona library, Münster and BN Paris.."‎

Reference : 53741

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