Lot 520
Belgium -- The Brabant. Double Souverain, ND (Antwerp). Fr-91 (80); Delm-147. Albert and Isabella of Spain, 1598-1621. Duke and Dutchess seated, facing, on thrones. Reverse: Crowned crest within chain. Rare, and the obverse image here is virtually unique among coins, possible only on a coin of great size, and difficult to strike up (as indeed the lower portions of the dual image proves), a handsome piece having residual luster and excellent surfaces, for the soft metal. NGC graded AU-58.
Habsburg Spain gained complete control of the region through the skilled services of Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, who was installed as governor-general. A capable adversary against the Protestants, he succeeded in holding the southern provinces for Roman Catholicism, and crushing Protestantism in the key southern cities of the province, especially that of Antwerp. Philip II of Spain gave his oldest daughter, Isabel, in marriage to her cousin, Archduke Albert, and set the couple up as joint sovereigns of the Low Countries. Their stewardship was rather moderating and conciliatory, for it improved and restored conditions for their subjects. Nevertheless conflicts continued. While the Flemish areas looked to the Archduke and Duchess for stability, the Dutch were determined to retain their independence. In 1609, after years of land skirmishes, and coastal blockades by the Dutch, the couple acceded to a truce with the United Provinces that left the Dutch free of Spanish interference (although it lasted only eleven years). Unfortunately for their subjects, the couple died without issue, and the lands reverted once more to the Spanish crown, and the territory's fortunes were tied into Spain's slow decline.
Estimated Value $2,500 - 3,000.
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| Realized $5,520 |
