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A FASCINATING FIND: The Wenceslaus Hollar etchings, which portray the Coronation Cavalcade of Charles II in 1661 (Image: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)
A set of rare etchings showing the coronation of Charles II in 1661 have surfaced in a cupboard during a house clearance.
Created by Wenceslaus Hollar, a prolific Bohemian graphic artist from the 17th century, the images depict the ceremony and are of the period, with Wenceslaus dying in 1677. Catherine Southon Auctioneers will now put the items up for sale 362 years later.
Ms Southon said they comprise 20 etchings divided into four horizontal rows on five sheets of folding papers with watermarks, measuring 42cm by 49.5cm (16.5in by 19.4in). She said the Royal Collection, the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York possess similar sets.
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Ms Southon said: “This is a fascinating set of etchings portraying the Coronation Cavalcade of Charles II in 1661 by Wenceslaus Hollar. They were found in the back of a cupboard in Notting Hill 362 years after the event and within weeks of the coronation of Charles III.
“They depict the full procession, including the Duke of York, the full royal household, aristocracy and King Charles II under a canopy, with St Edward’s crown, orb, and sceptre being carried before him.”
She added: “But smartphones will be the chroniclers of today’s coronation rather than Bohemian engravers like Wenceslaus Hollar. They are rare and in very good condition for their age with clear images, although there is some restoration.”
The etchings will be auctioned in five lots on July 19, with an estimated value of between £400 and £500, through the Kent-based auction house.
Reporting by Ben Mitchell, PA
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