ALEKSANDER BENEDYKT STANISŁAW SOBIESKI coat of arms Janina. Scene of the funeral of Alexander Sobieski (born 1677 in Gdansk, died...

ALEXANDER BENEDYKT STANISŁAW SOBIESKI coat of arms Janina (Polish prince). Funeral scene of Alexander Sobieski (b. 1677 in Gdansk, d. 1714 in Rome) - Polish prince-king, son of King John III and Maria Kazimiera d'Arquien; drawn by architect Alexander Speculus (Alessandro Specchi), eng. Francesco Faraone Aquila, Rome; copper b/w, fine condition, after expert conservation (supplemented loss of margins and two traces of woodworm in the light of the engraving); plate size 470x720 mm; Delineatio funebris Pompae exhibitae Romae in Ecclesia RR.PP. Cappuccinorum, dumcl:me: Principi Regio ALEXANDRO Sobiescki iussu CLEMENTIS XI. Pont: Max. Iusta ibidem solemni ritu persoluerentur die 22 Nouembris 1714. See also item 438 - Sobieski family portrait. INCREDIBLY RARE!!!

Shortly before his death,Alexander Sobieski 'shealth declinedseverely . He then decided to take monastic vows - he joined the Capuchins.At therequest of Pope Clement X, Cardinals Giuseppe Sacripandi and Fabrizio Paulucci, as well as the Capuchins, kept vigil at the sickbed. The princedied onNovember 19, 1714. Afterhis death,Alexander 's corpse was embalmed and all his correspondence was burned. On 27 XI, an unusually solemn funeral was held at the Capuchin church of Santa Maria della Concezione - on the Pope's orders, and against the wishes of the deceased, who wished for a modest burial. The prince was buried with the same honors as the most important officials of the curia. The funeralprocession included representatives of the brotherhoods, Capuchins, Swiss guards, bishops, chaplains, thepope's nephew Cardinal Alessandro Albani, chamberlains, and masqueraders. The prince's body rested on a parade black bed carried by twelve mourners, while the church itself was very richly lit. Just before the corpse was placed in the grave, the body - in accordance with the wishes of the deceased - was dressed in a simple Capuchin habit. It was widely believed that such a solemn funeral was not at odds with Alexander's not-so-pious lifestyle, since he had redeemed his sins through illness, death and donning the habit.