In Folio: Rare Volumes in the Stanford University Libraries

Francis Sandford, 1630-1694.

The History of the Coronation of the Most High, Most Mighty, and Most Excellent Monarch, James II: by the Grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c., and of His Royal Consort Queen Mary: Solemnized in the Collegiate Church of St. Peter in the City of Westminster, on Thursday the 23 of April, Being the Festival of St. George, in the Year of Our Lord 1685 ….

In the Savoy [London]: Printed by Thomas Newcomb, 1687.

This is an extravagant book of royal occasion and splendor. James II, with an exalted view of the kingly office, ordered a great deal of research to be done in records of the past, in order to draw up a ceremony of grandeur and proper order that would serve for future coronations. The plates are crowded with fascinating detail, featuring table settings for the coronation dinner, participants in full costume in the procession, and a magnificent view of the royal fireworks that marked the event. Despite his contributions to royal pageantry, James II would remain on the throne only a short time, driven off by the “Glorious Revolution” of 1688, and replaced by William III of Orange and his wife, James’ own daughter. This copy includes an extra plate, featuring a scene from the coronation of William and Mary, which would take place in 1689.

 

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