Thirty Years War (1618-48)
Maps, prints and letterpress text covering the major battles and sieges of the war
Siege of La Motte, 1634
LE SIEGE DE LA MOTTE
1634 or laterEtching and engraving; printed on paper; mounted on paper (Mount Type A) | 18.4 x 41.5 cm (image and sheet) | RCIN 722083
A plan with buildings drawn in three dimensions, of the siege of La Motte, 7 March-26 July 1634, by the French commanded by Jacques-Nompar de Caumont, (from 1637, duc de La Force) (30 December 1558-10 May 1652), resulting in the capitulation of the citadel after a siege of 141 days. Thirty Years War (1618-1648). Oriented with west-south-west to top (cardinal points).
This print shows, bl, Mareschal de la Force mounted and on a hill now known as the Bois de Bourmont looking east-north-east overlooking the village of Vaudrecourt (48°12ʹ23ʺN 05°39ʹ03ʺE) and across the valley of the river Mouzon towards the town and citadel of La Mothe which, today, lies in ruins on a wooded hilltop. This siege, in which Imperial forces were defeated by the French, was notable for the action of the twenty-two-year-old Colonel Turenne (Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne 1611-1675) whose brilliant feat in driving the enemy from one of the bastions led to the fall of the citadel the following day. Turenne later married the granddaughter of la Force.
Abraham Bosse (1604-76) (engraver) [bottom right, inside neatline:] ABosse sculp.
Alexandre Boudan (1600-71) (publisher) [bottom, right of centre, inside neatline:] ABoudan excud auec Priuilege
Watermark: Print: bunch of grapes. Mount: none visible
Condition: good; no gilt edges or pressure marks
18.4 x 41.5 cm (image and sheet)
cropped (platemark)
24.5 x 47.7 cm (mount)
Printed title:
LE SIEGE DE LA MOTTE. [top centre, in a cartouche depicting draped material]
Additional text:
[top centre, below title, in title cartouche, a key, A-I, K-R, 1-7, to the geographical and military features and surrounding settlements portrayed in the view.]
Annotations:
George III heading: La Mothe 1634.
Other annotations: (Recto) [top left, black pencil, cropped:] II/[?]. (Verso) none.
George III catalogue entry:
Mothe, La Vue du Siege de la Motte par le Mareschal de la Force en 1634: par A. Bosse, chez Boudan.
Subject(s)
(La Mothe-en-Bassigny [La Motte], Haute-Marne, France (48°12ʹ41ʺN 05°41ʹ08ʺE
Bibliographic reference(s)
M. Weygand, Turenne Marshal of France, London 1930, p. 21
A. Cagnat, ‘Le premier siège de la Mothe 1634’, Mémoires de la Société d’archéologie lorraine et du Musée historique lorrain, LXIV, 4e Série, 14e Volume, 1914-1919, pp. 5-120
M. McDonald, The Print Collection of Cassiano dal Pozzo. Part II, Architecture, Topography and Military Maps, 3 vols, London 2019, cat. no. 2959
Page revisions
14 March 2024
Current version
