Other 17th-century conflicts
Printed and manuscript maps, prints and views of 22 seventeenth-century wars
Battle of Seneffe, 1674
PLAN · DE / LA / BATAYLLES / DE SENFF / Æntres Larmay De / Fransse Et Selles Des / Alliee Coumandeÿ par / Le prince Dorange Et / Sel De France par Le prince de / CONDE
1674 or laterPencil, pen, ink and watercolour on two sheets of paper, joined; laid down on coarse linen; edged with cerise silk ribbon; one pink linen tie to right edge; a brass ring for hanging attached to top left and top right corners | Scale: 1:13,000 approx. | RCIN 724010
The troops of the French and Allied armies, totalling over 100,000 men, together with the tents of their encampments, are drawn here in a charmingly realistic way which belies the carnage of this battle – over 25,000 men were killed or captured with many more wounded. The countryside in which the fighting took place is represented in detail: woods, rivers and many of the surrounding villages, with their principal buildings, are shown.
Additional text: [bottom centre, in cartouche embellished with the artefacts of war with, on the left, a seated female figure holding up a shield with the emblem of the Holy Roman Empire, and, on the right, another seated half-nude female figure also holding a shield with the emblems of House of Orange, with a Roman soldier behind; a key, A-I, K-T, W, AA, to the different stages of the battle.]
For further reading, see:
J.A. Lynn, The wars of Louis XIV 1667-1714, London, 1999; republished 2013, pp.125-6.
Condition: four fold lines; creased; surface dirt; foxing. Verso: induced discoloration; heavy layer of surface dirt along left edge in a pattern consistent with the map having been rolled and tied; top right, a paler coloured rectangle (20.2 x 25.0 cm), perhaps where a former label has been removed.
HS (active 1674) (cartographer) [bottom right, right of scale bar, ink:] h.s. F.
Watermark: None visible
Condition: four fold lines; creased; surface dirt; foxing. Verso: induced discoloration; heavy layer of surface dirt along left edge in a pattern consistent with the map having been rolled and tied; top right, a paler coloured rectangle (20.2 x 25.0 cm), perhaps where a former label has been removed
Scale: 1:13,000 approx. Scale bar [93 mm =] 800 pas geometrique.
60.7 x 85.8 cm (neatline)
61.8 x 67.1 cm (image)
65.3 x 90.1 cm (sheet)
Manuscript title:
PLAN · DE / LA / BATAYLLES / DE SENFF / Æntres Larmay De / Fransse Et Selles Des / Alliee Coumandeÿ par / Le prince Dorange Et / Sel De France par Le prince de / CONDE [top right, in cartouche representing draped material, supported on the left by three putti, one of which holds an olive wreath in its left hand]
Additional text:
[bottom centre, in cartouche embellished with the artefacts of war with, on the left, a seated female figure holding up a shield with the emblem of the Holy Roman Empire, and, on the right, another seated half-nude female figure also holding a shield with the emblems of House of Orange, with a Roman soldier behind; a key, A-I, K-T, W, AA, to the different stages of the battle.]
Annotations:
George III heading [bottom right, black pencil:] Military.
Other annotations: (Recto) none. (Verso) [bottom left, ink on a contemporary label:] I [with a cross in red pencil to the right]/36; [bottom, right of centre, blue biro on a 1980s red-printed Royal Library label:] IV 10.
George III catalogue entry:
Seneff Plan dessiné de la Bataille de Seneff entre l’Armée de France commandée par le Prince de Condé, et celle des Alliés commandées par le Prince d’Orange, le 11 Aoust 1674. 2 feuilles.
Subject(s)
Seneffe, Walloon Region, Belgium (50°31ʹ52ʺN 04°15ʹ46ʺE)
Bibliographic reference(s)
J. A. Lynn, The wars of Louis XIV 1667-1714, London 1999; republished 2013, pp. 125-6
Page revisions
14 March 2024
Current version
