Members' and visitors' book of the "Confrérie... Lot 35

Members' and visitors' book of the "Confrérie des Roi Mages" at the Berlaymont Monastery, Brussels. 46,5 x 32 cm. Literature Victor Henry, La Dévotion aux Saint Rois Mages. Étude hagiographique sur la Confrérie des Trois Saints Rois, fondée en 1671, dans la chapelle du monastere des Dames Chanoinesses de Berlaymont, a Bruxelles ... Brussels [1871]. Reddish-brown leather binding with rich gilt and two silver clasps. 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 watercolor on vellum or paper. Most of them bear signatures and dedications of the bearers of the coat of arms, others are inscribed by a foreign hand. They give information about the important personalities who were members of the brotherhood, attended its chapel, or were connected to the brotherhood in other ways. The armorial book comes from the monastery of Berlaymont in Brussels, founded in 1665, where this brotherhood was based. Their chapel, dedicated to the Magi, very soon became an important place of pilgrimage, especially for members of the Catholic 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 in office by the governors of the Catholic provinces of the Netherlands, both from the time of Spanish rule and later under 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 monastery of Berlaymont in the second half of the 19th century. The present volume was apparently later rebound 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 1980s. Most of the leaves show the signature and often a dedication of the bearer of the coat of arms below the coat of arms. Among the coats of arms present in the book are members and guests of the most important noble families of present-day Belgium and also numerous foreign princes and dignitaries. Among them, 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 or King Leopold III.