SPANISH GRANT OF NOBILITY Ref 439 Cover

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: -

THIS IS A CARTA EXECUTORIA DE HIDALGUIA (GRANT OF NOBILITY) IN FAVOUR OF BROTHERS AUGUSTIN AND PEDRO PEREZ DE CAMINO AND THEIR COUSIN CRISTOBAL PEREZ, ALL OF THE TOWN OF CASSA DE LA REYNA, ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT IN SPANISH ON VELLUM (WITH END LEAVESOF PAPER). SPAIN, VALLADOLID, DATED 21ST. JULY 1661 DURING THE REIGN OF PHILLIP IV, KING OF SPAIN (1621-1665).

 

76 leaves (with two blank fly leaves at the back and at the front) complete, collation: i-vii10, viii6, leaf size 296mm x198mm (11 13/20ins. x 7 8/10ins.), written space 210mm x 98mm (8 3/20ins. x 5 2/10ins.), single column, 24 lines in a superb, calligraphic script in dark brown within twin, double-ruled, frames in the text ink, many two-, three-, four- and five-line initials, as well as two-line high lines of text, in liquid gold on either magenta or blue grounds and all outlined in liquid gold with many initials with liquid gold tracery, on many occasions notes left in the margin by the scribe against the text on coloured two-line high panels to indicate to the illuminator what that text should be, official stamp and proofreader's paraph in lower margin on recto of each leaf, FULL PAGE FRONTISPIECE (folio 1v) showing the Arms of the grantee (description attached to the scan of it) and large blank space (on folio 2r) where a miniature of the grantee and family may be expected and with a red silk guard bound in between the two pages, attestations and additions on ff.1r, 75v and 76r, contemporary blind- and gilt-tooled binding of brown goatskin over paste boards with external lacing on spine, remnants of original silk ties, some rubbing to the binding but otherwise only minor age related wear.

 

PROVENANCE: -

1. Written in July 1661 for Augustine and Pedro Perez de Camino and their cousin Cristobal Perez, all of the town of Cassa de la Reyna (in the vacinity of Valencia?), at Valladolid, Spain.

2. Swann Auction Galleries, 104 East 25th. Street, New York, NY 10010, USA, their sale on 28th. February 2013, Lot 134 for $2,280 (including buyer's premium) to Philadelphia Rare Books and Manuscripts, 2375, Bridge Street, Philadelphia, PA 19137, USA.

3. Philadelphia Rare Books and Manuscripts, their Stock No. 32217, sold to a Philadelphia collector, probably Jason Schiff.

4. Purchased from Jason Schiff of Philadelphia, USA.

 

TEXT: -

This is the “Grant of Nobility” issued to Augustine and Pedro Perez de Camino and their cousin Cristobal Perez. When the various male members of the Perez de Camino family sought to have their nobility confirmed, their claim was denied by the local herald authority. They appealed this decision and, despite that local opposition, their claim was upheld when it eventually reached the king, who here grants them their coat of arms. In order to win their case the family produced a large number of witnesses who testified as to the family's history, the legitimacy of their marriages and the purity of their blood. Transcriptions of these testimonies are included at length.

 

GENERAL COMMENTS: -

This is a very nice example of this type on manuscript with very little wear to the cover and very little internal damage. It is complete, but it is unfortunate that the miniature of the family to whome the Grant of Nobility was issued was never completed. Of the 142 pages, 78 of them are illuminated.

 

It is not intended to download scans of all the pages (or a transcription and translation) but what follows is a small selection of openings from the book which give a flavour of its entirety.

 

Done