Extremely rare first and only edition of two volumes that illustrate and describe two festivities: the baptism of Prince Ulrich von Württemberg (Stuttgart 1617-1671), son of Duke Johann Friedrich von Württemberg (1582-1628) and the marriage of the Duke's brother Lüdwig Friedrich and Magdalena Elisabeth, countess of Hessen.
Ad 1: Series of engraved plates depicting the festival. Although the book is by Esaias van Hulsen, one of the engraved title-plates, no. 23, is signed by Matthäus Merian. The series following this plate (ns. 23-30) are ascribed to Merian whereas some of the other series are believed to have been made by Friedrich Brentel, his name and monogram appearing on 13 plates. The main theory is that Merian and Brentel are responsible for the plates with their signature and that the rest of the plates can be ascribed to Van Hulsen. Some of the engravings had been already used for Van Hulsen's Festzug of 1616.
Ad 2: Description of the illustrations of the festivities in the first work, and explanation of the regulations issued for the festivities. Title-page illustrated with a large woodcut coat-of-arms of Württemberg. Georg Rodolph Weckherlin (1584-1653) was a well-known poet and served as Duke Johann Friedrich's secretary and ambassador.
Contemporary(?) owner's inscription in ink on free endpaper. Ad 1 lacking 1 plate (no. 51.). Some leaves with tears, some slight foxing at places. Otherwise a very good copy. Ad 1: Hollstein IX (1953), p. 155, 2-93; Rahn, 63; Vinet 740; cf. Lipperheide I, 2586 (partly coloured copy, with plate 92 missing); not in Ornamentst. Sammlung Berlin. ad 2: Lipperheide I, 2587; Rahn 62; on Van Hulsen: F. Speelberg, 'Het zwartwerkornament van Esaias van Hulsen. Een unieke prent in een bijzondere techniek', Desipientia 19 (2012), no. 1, pp. 7-12.