John Michael Wright:

Ragguaglio della solenne comparsa, fatta in Roma gli otto di Gennaio MDCLXXXVII [1687] dall'Illustrissimo, et eccellentissimo Signor Conte di Castelmaine ambasciadore straordinario della Sagra Real Maestà di Giacomo Secondo Re d'Inghilterra […] in andare pubblicamente all'udienza della Santità di Nostro Signore Papa Innocenzo Undecimo.

Roma, nella Stamperia di Domenico Antonio Ercole, [1687]. Folio. 35,5 x 23,5 cms. 92 pp. + engraved frontispiece by A. van Westerhout after Gio. Batt. Leonardi (depicting Earl Castlemaine kissing the Pope’s feet) + 14 engraved plates by Westerhout (depicting i.a. 6 carriages and 6 table ornaments) + 1 large folding plate (over a meter long) depicting the banquet in the Gallery at Palazzo Panfili.

Contemporary full calf, spine worn and partly defective, contents with some very slight / insignifcant finger-soiling and a few smudges and small stains. Long plate with a closed tear and a small hole (no loss) in the image near right margin. Round stamp, bookplate and ownership

inscription of Alexander Erba Odeschalchi. The pope in question was Innocentius XI Odescalchi; the first engraved plate depicts the Odescalchi family crest.

Sumptuous festival book by the English baroque painter J. M. Wright occasioned by the embassy of Earl Castlemaine to the Pope in 1687, including representations of carriages from the procession on January 8. - - - In 1687, the Catholic King James II of England sent Roger Palmer, 1st Earl of Castlemaine, as ambassador to Rome to officially re-establish diplomatic ties with the papacy. The Pope at the time was Innocent XI Odescalchi. The diplomatic mission was highly dramatic and historically notable for several key events. The Pope was caught in a difficult political position. While he was pleased England had a Catholic king, he was much more concerned about the growing threat of France (under Louis XIV) and was not eager to aid James II in his broader political goals. Because of the Pope's declining health and political hesitation, Earl Castlemaine’s official public entry into Rome was delayed until January 8, 1687. The procession was spectacular, featuring elaborately decorated carriages and historical tableaus designed by the painter John Michael Wright. An incident occured, as Castlemaine during an audience attempted to present his kissing of the Pope’s feet as the English monarchy's total submission to Rome, angering some English Protestants back home. Following the audience, Castlemaine hosted a famously opulent feast in Rome. It featured magnificent, towering sugar sculptures of heraldry and triumphs, which he had to have Swiss Guards protect so guests wouldn't eat them before the event began. However, Castlemaine's embassy was ultimately a failure. He returned to England in the autumn of 1687, having failed to secure James II's demand of making the Jesuit Edward Petre a cardinal.

Berlin Cat., 1407.

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