A set of four etchings (plus title), to commemorate the visit paid by the Imperial Post-master General, the Count de la Tour et Taxis (Thurn und Taxis), and his wife to the Imperial Postmaster of the Netherlands, Alexander Roelants. During the brief period he was out of England, from 1645 to 1652, Hollar may have personally witnessed the event.

Lamoral II Claudius Franz, Count of Thurn and Taxis had inherited the office of Imperial Postmaster General from his mother, who had been instrumental in the development of the imperial postal system. In 1649, Lamoral himself was granted permission to set up post stations anywhere within the Holy Roman Empire, a task to which he personally dedicated himself, visiting new stations and campaigning for the expansion of the network. It is likely that Hollar’s prints show him doing just this.

Drawn in 1650, the set of four etchings with titlepage shows the count approaching Hemiksen in Antwerp, where Hollar lived at this time, visiting its church, meeting with Roelants and watching a firework display. Lamoral and his wife are accompanied in each print by a retinue of attendants and surrounded by the curious residents of Hemiksen. Beneath each image is a short inscription in Latin describing the scene, which is unlikely to be by Hollar himself.