Der Ausrufer zu Versailles

Translated Print Title: 
[The Town Crier of Versailles]
Date(s): 
1692

This German print (which also exists in Dutch, French, and English versions) was produced in the wake of the naval battles of Barfleur and La Hogue in 1692, in the middle of the Nine Years’ War between France and the grand alliance known as the League of Augsburg. A “town crier” in royal dress promises a reward to anyone who can return one of the lost French vessels whose names are listed on the scroll, led by the famous flagship Le Soleil Royal (The Royal Sun). The burning fleet and helpless sailors can be seen in the background. The rhymed verse at the bottom explicitly derides the attempt by “the great Louis” to restore James II to the English throne.

Private collection.