Lot n° 176
Estimation :
60000 - 80000
EUR
Exceptional cross of the Order of Saint Michael by Johan Huy - Lot 176
Exceptional cross of the Order of Saint Michael by Johan Huydecoper van Maarsseveen, knighted in 1650.
An eight-pointed gold cross, whose branches, enameled opaque white with chased reserves of translucent green-enameled flames, are beveled with oblong fleurs-de-lis and green-enameled horizontal bars. The medallion features on both sides, in the center of a blue cloud, a finely enameled group in the round featuring a blue-armored Saint Michael, with green wings, overcoming a pale green demon with yellow dots. A simple flat ring fixed between the upper points forms a bélière allowing the passage of a strong suspension ring.
With two handwritten documents: the letter of nomination on paper addressed to the recipient and the commission on sealed vellum, addressed to Sieur Brasset, ambassador to Holland to present the necklace. Each signed Louis (secretary) and dated June 22, 1650 in Compiègne.
Perfect condition.
H. 72 mm - W. 64 mm - Weight : 52.05 g
France, mid-17th century.
Exceptional Cross of the Order of Saint Michael of Johan Huydecoper van Maarsseveen, Knight in 1650
Gold eight-pointed cross with pommetted tips, the arms enamelled in opaque white with chiseled reserves of flames enamelled in translucent green, and angled with oblong fleur-de-lis with horizontal bars enamelled in green. The medallion features, on both sides, at the center of a blue cloud, a finely enamelled round-relief group depicting Saint Michael in blue armor, with green wings, vanquishing a pale green demon with yellow spots. A simple flat ring fixed between the upper tips forms the bail, allowing the passage of a large suspension ring.
Accompanied by two handwritten documents: the letter of appointment on paper addressed to the recipient and the commission on vellum with a seal, addressed to Sieur Brasset, ambassador to the Netherlands, to deliver the collar. Both signed by Louis (secretary) and dated June 22, 1650, in Compiègne.
In perfect condition.
H. 2 13/16 in - W. 2 1/2 in - Weight: 1.83 oz
France, mid-17th century.
30 B Preserved in a later black chagrin case with the coat of arms of France.
Provenance:
- Johan Huydecoper, then by descent.
- Sotheby's, London, November 5, 1986, lot n°974.
Text of the letter of appointment:
Monsr Huydecoper de Marceven. Having you as much for the - good qualities which meet in your person as because of - the affection which you devoted to this Crown and the good of my - service, choisy and elected in the Assembly of the Knights of my order
-St Michel to enter and be associated with the said order, I have appointed - Sr Brasset coner en mon Conl d'estat et - Resident for my service in Holland.
Resident for my service in Holland to give you the collar on my - behalf, in the forms and with the customary Ceremonies.
I am sending you this letter to inform you so that you may - go to him on the day and place he will tell you to receive this honor. Priant Dieu qu'il vous ayt Monsr -
Huydecoper de Marceven en sa Ste garde. A Compiègne - le XXII e de Juin 1650
Louis Johan Huydecoper seigneur de Maarsseveen (1599-1661), symbolized the prosperity and golden age of the Netherlands. An influential businessman, several times mayor of Amsterdam, administrator of the East India Company, town planner and architect, he was also a patron of the arts. At the height of his fame, he was appointed Chevalier de l'Ordre de Saint-Michel by Louis XIV on June 22, 1650, and received into the Order on March 2, 1651, in The Hague, by Sieur Brasset, State Councillor representing the King in the United Provinces of the Netherlands, commissioned for this purpose. It is decorated with an enamelled gold cross.
Breaking with the archaic medallion worn since the Order was founded by Louis XI in 1469, the Knights of the Order of Saint-Michel adopted a more modern and flattering cross in the first half of the 17th century, imitating that of the Order of the Holy Spirit instituted by Henry III in 1578. The knights of this new order, who were also knights of the Order of Saint-Michel, wore a cross with a dove in the center on the obverse and a medallion of Saint-Michel on the reverse. The Knights of St. Michael therefore had no choice but to adopt this cross, placing St. Michael on both sides. This practice is attested to by Marc Vulson de la Colombière, who recounts in Le vray théâtre d'honneur et de chevalerie his reception into the Order of
Saint-Michel in 1643. It was formalized by Louis XIV in 1661 and 1665 during the major reforms of the Order of Saint-Michel. Article 9 of the 1665 statutes stipulated that the cross should be half the size of that of the Holy Spirit.
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