Current fair ends in
$3250
Granada, Real ChancillerĂa de Granada, 1589, Leather
Good
Carta Executoria in favor of Antonio Xijon of Caracuel, issued in the name of King Philip II of Spain dated May 30, 1589. Full leather binding with ornate gilt decoration. Bound with a multicolored braided silk cord. Quarto. Unpaginated but contains sixty two vellum leaves with two full page illuminations. The first showing the applicant and his family at prayer with the Blessed Mother Mary and Infant above. The second incorporates the family coat of arms below an image of Santiago Matamoros (St. James the Moor Slayer) sword raised, astride a white horse. The wide borders of each contain numerous highly decorative motifs and symbols with generous use of gold throughout. The pages are red ruled with a single column of 34 lines written in a round gothic hand. Within the text is a miniature illumination of King Philip II with a protective red silk panel and 22 illuminated initials. The cover is worn with some splitting to the leather and heavy rubbing to the edges showing pages of printed paper waste used as padding. A few minor stains and some spotting. Some light offsetting of painted areas as expected.
A carta executoria was a legal judgment confirming the petitioner’s status as a hidalgo (member of the untitled nobility). The document contains a legal summary of the case and ruling, genealogical narrative proving noble lineage, sworn witness statements and corroborating testimonies and final decree from the court affirming the family’s status. They served as a legally binding confirmation of hereditary nobility, used to assert tax exemptions, social privileges, and legal protections. As in this case the successful petitioner would then pay professional scribes and artists to create a lavishly illustrated copy which was often displayed in the household and preserved across generations as a symbol of lineage and honor.
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