Statuten des Königlichen Preußischen Ordens vom Schwartzen Adler. Cölln an der Spree: Ulrich Liebpert (1701). 34,5 x 22,5 cm. With an engraved frontispiece, an engraved portrait of King Frederick I and 13 engravings by the court engraver Heinrich Jacob Otto. 29 pp. Modern parchment binding with a gold-stamped title on the spine; in a half-linen slipcase.

(The slipcase is slightly stained. The title page has a small hole in the centre of the page. Minimal signs of age.)

Lipperheide Of 14. - A rare first edition of the Order’s statutes. - Frederick I had established the highest order of the Kingdom of Prussia in Königsberg on 17 January 1701, the day before his coronation. Published as an official court print, this lavishly produced volume contains the fundamental provisions governing admission, as well as the rights and duties of the intended 30 Knights of the Order, and also documents the Order’s insignia and ceremonies. - The full-page portrait depicts the King in his Order’s regalia. The frontispiece is dedicated to St George, who is slaying a multi-headed dragon; the other copperplate engravings depict the Order’s insignia (sash, cross, star, cap, waistcoat, cloak, chain, sword, pouch, seal). – An important printed document relating to the history of the state and the Order from the early Prussian monarchy.