Beschreibung:

CARTA EXECUTORIA of Luis de Portillo, issued by Philip II of Spain, in Spanish , ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM , [Granada, 26 November 1585
CARTA EXECUTORIA of Luis de Portillo, issued by Philip II of Spain, in Spanish , ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM , [Granada, 26 November 1585] 308 x 210mm. i + 59 + i leaves, the document bound with another 26 leaves of related items on paper. THREE FULL-PAGE MINIATURES with borders (the illuminations unfinished and with pigment losses, the pages darkened and cockled, soiling and rubbing throughout, additions on the frontispiece in a later hand); red velvet over wooden boards with clasps (worn). Provenance : gift inscription to A.H. Bright from Henry Yates Thompson, 1894, with a related letter on Thompson’s acquisition of the manuscript in Seville. In the present manuscript Luis de Portillo of Aguilar (Castile y León) asserts his status as hidalgo , as his father and uncle, Pedro and Alonso, were before him. Not only is it his right to be free of the burden of royal taxation, but the full return of dues and property previously taken is demanded. The claim to nobility is elaborated with testimonies from worthy citizens and with reference to the recent genealogy of the family. The miniatures, rendered in a typically bright palette, depict: a matamoros (f.1v), the arms of Luis de Portillo (f. 2), and Luis and his family in prayer before the Virgin (f.2v).