The Queen of Great Britain arriving in Portsmouth 25 May 1662 & The Arrival in London of the King and Queen from Hampton Court to Whitehall along the River Thames 23 August 1662.; Two views from Theatrum Europaeum

1670. Engraving printed on two sheets of horizonally-joined, hand made laid paper (as issued), one sheet bearing a crudely formed heraldic watermark with a crown surrounded by 10 small orbs. 12 x 15 3/4 inches (303 x 338 mm), 1/4-inch to 1-inch margins. General toning, handling wear, soft creasing, and some marginal insect damage at the lower-center sheet which is outside of the image area and repaired with modern, archival mending tape. There are two remnants of archival paper tape at the right and left sheet edges on the recto, outside of the image area. All condition issues are consistent with age. The top image depicts the arrival of Queen Catharina of Braganza in Portsmouth, were she was greeted by King Charles II, whom she was soon to marry. The lower image shows the newly married couple arriving as guests at Whitehall. The images are two from a series of seven by Dirk Stoop, depicting the journey of Catharina of Braganza from Lisbon to England.

Matthäus Merian the Elder (22 September 1593 - 19 June 1650) was a Swiss engraver born in Basel. Beginning his career in Zürich, he went on to study and work in various cities throughout France. In 1616, Merian relocated to Frankfurt to work for the publisher Johann Theodor de Bry. Merian later married de Bry's daughter. Merian was the father of Maria Sibylla Merian, one of the greatest natural history artists of the late 17th and early 18th centuries.