Le Maître de la Martiniere - Histoire de l’empereur Charles VI - 1747

[HISTORY – DYNASTY OF THE HABSBURGS – 18th CENTURY]
Mr. L. D. M. [Le Maître de La Martinière, Antoine-Augustin Bruzen de]
History of Emperor Charles VI. And of the Revolutions Occurring in the Empire under the Reign of the Princes of the Auguste House of Austria, from Rudolph, Count of Habsburg, to the Present.
In Amsterdam, At François L'Honoré & Fils, 1747
Original edition dated 1747 in two volumes, enriched with the dispute over Silesia between the Queen of Hungary and the King of Prussia.

In-12 (2 volumes bound). Volume I: half-title, title page in red and black with an ornate banner, 1 f. n. ch., text and tables. Volume II: half-title, title page in red and black similarly (dated 1747), text and tables. Complete work in two volumes, accompanied by historical notes on the House of Austria and the crucial question of Silesia.

Full contemporary marl calf, spine with raised bands and gilt-tooled compartments, numbered spine labels, red speckled edges. A perfectly uniform and elegant copy, typical of careful Dutch productions from the mid-18th century.

Printed in Amsterdam at François L'Honoré & Fils in 1747, in the midst of the War of the Austrian Succession, reflecting the era’s hot topic regarding the ambitions of Frederick II of Prussia and Empress Maria Theresa. Good overall condition. Front boards with fine period marbling, corners and headcaps well preserved, spine bright with still fairly clear gilding.

Fresh and well-ordered interior, impeccably colored title pages, clean paper with only very rare foxing.

Attributed to the celebrated geographer and historian Bruzen de La Martinière, this panorama traces the destiny of the House of Habsburg from its comital origins to the geopolitical tremors of the 18th century. The textual addition concerning the conflict between Maria Theresa (“the Queen of Hungary”) and Frederick II of Prussia about the rich and coveted province of Silesia makes it a fascinating historical document.

Good copy.