Nicolas II de Larmessin

Two original late-17th century French engravings by Nicolas II de Larmessin (c. 1632-c. 1694). The subject is the first is that of Emperor of Mono-Motapa, an archaic name for greater Zimbabwe. Chimbganda Matombo (1634-1698) seems most likely the Emperor depicted; the Monomotapa Empire was reputed at the time to be the site of Biblical Ophir and King Solomon's mines, a fact

which partly contributed to the European settlement of Southern Africa (and which perhaps accounts for the references to gold mines in the descriptive text.) Underneath the portrait, the caption reads (with apologies for my transcription from the archaic French):
"LE GRAND ROY MONO-MOTAPA, Fort Puissant et cy Riche en Or, q. d'Aucuns l'apelle l'Empereur de l'Or, Il a plusiers Roys ces tributaires, compris sous l'ethiopie Inferieure, desquels les Enfans, Sont Elevez dans son palais, pour Contenir les Peres dans son Obbeissance Son royaume est de tres grande Estendue ayant de Circuit de 800 lieves, il soutien de fortes Guerres contre le Prete-Ian, Empereur des Abbissins, Il fair sa Cour a Zimbaoe [Great Zimbabwe], ou il Entretiens pour sa garde Ordre des femmes et 200 chiens, Grands, et furieux, La Relation de lannee 1631, nous apprend q ce Roy Mono-motapa Ces toit fait baptiser avec toutte sa cour, par les Peres Jesuistes, ce Monarque n'est servuy qu'a Genoux, il'y'a en ce Royaume des femmes qui Vont a la Guerre, et rendent aussy bons service q les hommes, dans ces armees, il y a grand nombre d'Elephans, force Abbondances de Sucre, plusiers mines d'Or, Ces peuples sont Noirs Vaillans et cy dispos quils Surpassent a la Coursse, les plus Viste Chevaux; les Idolastres, Sorciers, Adulteres, et larrons, y sont tres Rigoureusement Punis;"

-- The subject of the second image is "Tombut, Roy de la Guinee": a West African monarch. The engraving is on ivory-colored, partially watermarked laid paper. It measures approximately 6 1/2 x 9 1/4 inches (160 x 230mm). A small number has been handwritten in ink at the top of the portrait oval. I suspect the "Guinee" here refers to a larger area than present-day Guinea, and would have included Mali ("Tombut" seems to have been synonymous with "Timbuktu") and / or Senegal. Underneath the portrait, the caption reads (with apologies for my transcription from the archaic French):
 "TOMBUT, ROY DE LA GUINEE, Le Plus Puissant et Redoutable de la Nigritanne, en la partie Occidentalle d'Ethiopie, depuis La Mer Atlantique, Jusqu'au dela du Fleuve Senega, Sa Puissance est cy grande q. peut mettre en campagne, Jusqu'a 300 Milles hommes d'Armes, Aussy ce dait il Redouter au point qui ce fait rendre Tribut par les autres Roys ces voisins, de leurs bon gre. Ou Sinon les y Contraint bien par la force, Sa Grandeur paroit dans sa Garde Ordinaire, qui est de plus de 3000 gentilhommes et Chavaliers, et tres Grand Nombres de Pietons, quy ce Servent pour l'Ordinaire de fleches Empoisonnees a la Guerre, Il Entretien quantite d'hommes Doctes, mais il est Grand Ennemy des Juifs; ces peuples Sont fort Noirs, d'humeur fort douces, Grands Coureurs, et Sauteurs, forts, Adroitz; et bien Courageuz dans leurs Especes de Guerres."

BACKGROUND: Larmessin was one of a family of celebrated Parisian publishers, booksellers, and engravers who were responsible for several collections of portraits of royalty and notable individuals, including Tableaux historiques, ou sont graves les illustres francois et estrangers de l'un ou l'autre sexe (c. 1662), and Les Augustes Representations de tous les Roys (c. 1688). I have seen engravings from the same series elsewhere dated c. 1685; this example may be from an earlier or somewhat later printing of one of these collections. It is, however, quite evidently a late-17th printing and *not* a modern reproduction. Under the caption, the engraving reads "A Paris Chez P Bertrand Rue St Jacques a la Pomme d'or Proche St. Severin. Avec Privil du Roy [Louis XIV]"

-- 1688 engraving of an African king on his throne surrounded by his subjects that comes from a travel book by Montanus. The engraving measures 5" by 6.5" on a full page of text, has later wash hand coloring, and is in good condition.
-- Arnoldus Montanus was a Jesuit priest, based in Amsterdam, who published a series of travel/voyage books based mainly on the reports from his fellow Jesuits in their travels around the world. Most were based on continents (Asia, Africa, America) but others were more concentrated (Mesopotamia, China, Japan, Persia, Syria & Palestine). Many of these books were translated into German from the original Dutch by Dr Olfert Dapper. This fascinating engraving comes from the 1688 edition of the volume on Africa.