Lot 35 Dα

Reddish brown leather binding with rich gilding and two silver clasp fittings. Dated 1671 on the back cover, the founding year of the Brotherhood of the Magi.
The book contains 240 full-page armorial paintings in gouache and watercolour on vellum or paper. Most of them bear signatures and dedications of the bearers of the coat of arms, others are inscribed by other hand. They give information about the important personalities who were members of the brotherhood, attended its chapel, or were connected to the brotherhood in some other way.
The armorial book comes from the monastery of Berlaymont in Brussels, founded in 1665, where this brotherhood was located. Its chapel, dedicated to the Magi, soon became an important place of pilgrimage, especially for members of the princely houses and noble families of the Catholic Netherlands and Europe.
The official foundation of the 'Confrérie des Rois Mages' was celebrated on 9 August, 1671. Its first provost was the Marquis de la Fuente, at that time Spanish ambassador to Charles II of England. He was later followed by the governors of the Catholic provinces of the Netherlands, both from the time of Spanish rule and Habsburg rule.

According to tradition, the original membership and guest book, the 'Livre d'Or' of the brotherhood, consisted of two volumes, which were still kept in the Berlaymont monastery in the second half of the 19th century. The present volume was apparently rebound later from parts of these volumes, probably using one of the original bindings.
Present here are the statutes of the brotherhood written on parchment, as well as copies of papal indulgences and confirmations by Alexander VII of 1665 and Clement X of 1672. The magnificent full-page armorial paintings date from the 17th century to the eighties of the 20th century. Most of the sheets show below the coat of arms the signature and often a dedication of the bearers of the coat of arms.
Among the members and guests are some of the most important noble families of today's Belgium and also numerous foreign princes and dignitaries, for example, the Archbishop of Cologne Joseph Clemens, Elector Maximilian Emanuel of Bavaria, numerous cardinals and popes, such as from the 20th century Pius X in 1909 and Pius XII in 1954. Among the entries since the 19th century, one finds many members of the Belgian royal family, such as Astrid of Belgium and King Leopold III.