Lot Albums de Croÿ

Faithful to a now well-established tradition, the Crédit Communal of Belgium chose to celebrate its one hundred and twenty-fifth anniversary with a publication that would be both worthy of its predecessors and commensurate with the significance of the event: nothing less than the complete edition of the famous Croÿ Albums. However, the decision to publish these Albums was not motivated solely by considerations of prestige; it was above all a response to a growing demand. Indeed, in recent years, the Croÿ Albums have attracted increasing interest.

These Albums originated at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries from the bibliophilic passion of Duke Charles de Croÿ, a powerful lord eager to have before his eyes at all times an image of his vast estates and numerous properties. The Albums, which are the most spectacular elements of a diverse documentary collection, bring together nearly 2,500 finely executed gouaches, each depicting a village. They cover a very wide area, encompassing many regions of northern France and present-day Belgium, from the former principalities of Artois, Hainaut, and Namur to the Duchy of Aarschot, including the valleys of the Scheldt, the Lys, and the Sambre.

The vicissitudes of history had scattered this collection—of exceptional importance for the rural history of our regions under the Ancien Régime. Thanks to the initiative of the Crédit Communal, these remarkable sources are now made available to a new audience, despite having long been difficult to access.

The publication of the Croÿ Albums would not have been possible without the support of the Nord–Pas-de-Calais Regional Council, which immediately provided enthusiastic cooperation in promoting the Albums relating to France.