VATERRE (Michel). - Lot 263

VATERRE (Michel). Physician to King Charles IX. P.S. "Vaterre". January 15, 1573. Oblong vellum in-folio. Partly stained. Rare autograph receipt signed by Michel Vaterre, ordinary physician to King Charles IX, relating to the payment of a quarter of his wages in the King's household: "...la somme de deux cens livres tournois pour un quartier de mes gaiges de médecin ordinaire du Roy...". The document is addressed to "Monsieur Guillaume Loyard", treasurer or officer of the Royal Household responsible for settling pensions and allowances. It bears witness to the administrative and financial workings of Charles IX's court in the final years of the reign, shortly after the troubles of the Wars of Religion. Receipts from physicians personally attached to the sovereign are still uncommon, particularly in the reign of Charles IX. This document is of considerable historical interest for the study of court medicine in the 16th century and the organization of royal offices under the Valois. Fine autograph signature "Vaterre" at the bottom of the piece. Heavily patinated vellum with significant old stains and traces of folding, a few marginal perforations without substantial damage to the text. Well-preserved despite its exceptional age.