Height 6.5 in., Width 11in., Framed Height 16.5 in., Width 12 in. This hand colored copperplate intaglio engraving depicts a pikeman in full 17th century military dress presenting his pike forward in a battle drill position, the figure wearing a morion helmet with plume, breast and back plate armor, blue breeches with red fringe trim and bucket top boots, the plate captioned De Bataille -- Presentez la Pique en Avant at the top margin with the page number 79 at the upper right. The print is an original leaf from Travaux de Mars ou LArt de la Guerre by Allain Manesson Mallet, published in Paris by Denys Thierry in 1684, a landmark military treatise commissioned under Louis XIV in which Mallet -- mathematician, military engineer and former musketeer in the royal guard -- documented the drill positions, fortifications and tactical formations of the French army. The hand coloring in blue, red, green and grey is neat and well applied, consistent with contemporary coloring of the period rather than later addition, the impression strong and clean with good plate tone. The print is presented in a burr wood frame with white mat, the sheet in very good condition with only minor age toning at the margins. The verso likely carries a page of French text relating to pike drill or battlefield tactics as is typical of leaves from this publication.