The meeting of Louis XI and Edward IV on the Bridge of Pecquigny (1855)

The meeting of Louis XI and Edward IV at Pecquery

‘The meeting of Louis XI and Edward IV on the Bridge of Pecquigny’ by Eyre Crowe (1855)

Medium: oil

Size: 65 x 44 inches

Owner: private owner, U.S.A.

“As soon as the conditions of peace had been mutually exchanged, a bridge was thrown across the Somme at Pecquigny …”

This very large and complex scene was not exhibited at the Royal Academy or elsewhere to my knowledge. It was possibly purchased by an unknown person soon after its completion. It was auctioned at Christie’s in London on 4 July 1874, with the explanatory text given above. It was never mentioned by Eyre Crowe. It was in the possession of Miss Mortlock Brown when it was auctioned again by Christie’s on 5 March 1910. No further records of it can be found until it was auctioned by Christie’s on 20 May 1979 under the title ‘Louis XI and Edward IV meeting on the Bridge of Pecquigny ‘. It was auctioned again by Christie’s on 12 February 1982, and then by Sotheby’s on 16 March 1988 when it fetched £2,200. The current owners purchased it in the 1990s from a private collector.

The historical significance of the meeting is investigated in the following online article:

http://www.ancientpages.com/2017/08/28/on-this-day-in-history-treaty-of-picquigny-negotiated-between-england-and-france-on-august-29-1475/

Comments are closed.