L’ISLE DE LA CONFERENCE

Magnificent panoramic view of the Conference between Spain and France on November 7th 1659. Title on ribbon at top, annotations at top right. This finely detailed engraving shows the French and Spanish delegations meeting on an island in a river in the Pyrenees where Cardinal Mazarin negotiated peace with Spain. ‘Mazarin was the first minister of France after Cardinal de Richelieu's death in 1642. During the early years of King Louis XIV, he completed Richelieu's work of establishing France's supremacy among the European powers and crippling the opposition to the power of the monarchy at home.’ (Encyclopaedia Britannica)