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132 126 Hector McDonnell RUA (b.1947) ILLUSTRATIONS TO IRELAND 1518, ARCHDUKE FERDINAND’S VISIT TO KINSALE AND THE DURER CONNECTION ink; (12); conté; (12); (all unframed); book; (1) all variously signed, inscribed and dated Frame Dimensions: Excellent condition. Provenance: Commissioned for the publication In June 1518 Archduke Ferdinand of Habsburg en route from Spain to the Low Countries arrived in Kinsale after his fleet encountered stormy weather. The young prince’s voyage and four-day visit to Ireland was written up by household servant, Laurent Vital. Full of incident, curiosity and good humour, Vital gave not only an eventful account of the journey but also a remarkably detailed description of Irish dress. He was very taken by the revealing clothes of Irish women, and a good case can be made for his pen-portrait of Irish men and soldiers influencing the famous drawing done three years later by the Habsburg connected-artist, Albrecht Dürer. Whilst enjoying the hospitality of the Irish and watching the kern and galloglasses exercising their arms, Vital witnessed a clandestine marriage and listened to his landlady recount her pilgrimage to St Patrick’s Purgatory at Lough Derg in Donegal. He observed a formal meeting between the town council and the future Emperor and saw him being entertained by song, harp music and a swimming display. Hector MacDonnell was commissioned to do a set of twelve drawings highlighting the main incidents during Ferdinand’s voyage and his sojourn in Kinsale. These magnificent drawings illustrate the translation of Vital’s account in Hiram Morgan’s Ireland 1518: Archduke Ferdinand’s visit to Kinsale and Dürer Connection (Cork 2015). For further information see https://ireland1518.com/ €1,000-€1,500 (£880-£1,320 approx.) Click here for more images and to bid on this lot126