Tapisseries du Roy (Royal Tapestries) - Title Page

This ornate engraved frontispiece announces a lavish documentation of the Gobelins tapestry manufactory's works commissioned by King Louis XIV. The composition stacks emblematic imagery—a radiant sun dial at center, mythological putti and harvest fruits above, heraldic shields flanking the sides, and architectural panels below depicting scenes of court life and manufacture. The Latin inscription credits those "from whose designs and labor these works proceed." Such elaborate title pages served both practical and propagandistic functions in early modern publishing, establishing the prestige and royal patronage behind technical and artistic endeavors. The engraving technique allowed for intricate detail and reproducibility across multiple copies of the bound volume.