SKELTON (Joseph) ; VATOUT (Jean). Le Château d'Eu illustré d - Lot 161

SKELTON (Joseph) ; VATOUT (Jean). Le Château d'Eu illustré depuis son origine jusqu'au voyage de sa Majesté Victoria reine de l'Angleterre , Paris, Goupil et Vibert ; Firmin Didot, 1844. Large folio (61 x 44 cm.), half-brown morocco, spine ribbed, gilt title and author, double gilt fillet, black fillet on spine and boards, (wear, dull corners, leather missing from headpieces and nerves, two small snags on lower board, leaves uniformly browned). Illustrated history of the Château d'Eu in Normandy, with an illustrated account of the visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to King Louis-Philippe and Queen Marie-Amélie of France at the château in 1843, by Joseph Skelton, the text by Jean Vatout (1692-1848), secretary and private librarian to King Louis Philippe 1er. It comprises two title pages, the first with the united arms and flags of France and England, the second with the Comte de Paris firing his first cannon at Le Tréport, a dedication to Queen Victoria of England, and 19 full-page plates out of the 17 requested by the table of contents (Guizot and Lord Aberdeen). Engraved on copperplate by Joseph Skeleton, Beyer and Riffault after drawings by Skeleton, Percival, Karl Girardet, E. Le Poittevin, Winterhalter and others. The 8 portraits are engraved by Skeleton and Hopwood and show King Louis-Philippe, the Queen of France Marie-Amélie, Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, the Queen of the Belgians, Princess Adélaïde and the Foreign Minister in London, Lord Aberdeen, the book includes 5 plates depicting significant historical events concerning the Castle, such as William the Conqueror's Assault and Capture of the Castle in 1049, William the Conqueror's Marriage to Matilda of Flanders in 1050, and Saint Lawrence, Archbishop of Dublin, at Eu in 1181. Other notable scenes include the Fire of Eu ordered by Louis XI in 1475, and playful moments captured on the Château terrace around 1600 by the Princesse de Conti and Princess Henriette. Of particular interest are the illustrations capturing Her Majesty Queen Victoria's historic visit to Treport in 1843, including her arrival, disembarkation and first meeting with the royal family. Provenance: Félicie Meunié d'Hostel (1843-1935), who owned a collection of books, including several relating to costumes. Wife of the grandson of architect Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine (1763-1853), she inherited part of his collection (engraved bookplate).