| Notities: |
| -Persoon | First edition, first issue, of the official Dutch Protestant Bible, the so-called Dutch States Bible, with the printer’s colophon at the end dated 1636, and with the authorizing autograph signature of Barent Langhenes, dated by hand 1637, on verso title. A new translation was ordered by the Dutch States General with the Synode of Dordrecht from 1618-1619, but it lasted until 1636-1637 before the job was finished. Johannes Bogerman from Leeuwarden, Willem Baudartius from Zutphen, and Gerson Bucerus from Veere, who died in 1632, translated the Old Testament, and Festus Hommius from Leyden and Antonius Walaeus from Middelburg translated the New Testament. The privilege for the printing was given by the States General to Paulus Aertsz. van Ravesteyn on condition that he moved his printing office to Leyden, and the publishing was granted by the Leyden City Council to the Widow and Heirs of Hillebrant Jacobsz. van Wouw at The Hage. First editions are usually without the six maps, which later became the standard minimum of illustration for the Dutch States Bibles. But since the present bible was bound in 1653, as stated on the back cover, for Cornelius Sylvius and Margarieta Deymans, as stated on the front cover, maps were added still according to the fashion of the day. Claes Jansz. Visscher (1587-1652), produced the first set of six maps especially made for the Dutch States Bibles. The world map is beautifully designed, with illustrations of the four continents in the four corners and around the two hemispheres, with in centre at the top and bottom circles of the Zodiac, and with the two halves of the astronomical globe depicted in the blank space underneath one of the hemispheres. The other maps, depicting Paradise, Paul’s voyages, including charming border illustrations above and below, the Promised Land, the plan of Jesusalem, and the Voyage to Egypt, are all dated 1650, so in first editions as well.
A highly interesting manuscript family chronicle is found added on the last 6 blank leaves, contemporary written by Cornelius Sylvius, whose name is blind-stamped on top of the front cover.
It is divided into three chapters:
a. "Memorie van geslachte ende naekomelingen, gesprooten uit de sijde van mijn Grootvaeder Cornelius Silvius, ende Maria Jans Snoeck". Neatly written over two and a half leaves, dates are listed of the greatfather Cornelius Sylvius, who came in 1569 to Amsterdam for reasons of religion, the father Johannes Cornelis Sylvius who first married in 1591 Lucia Sixtus, who had two children, who both died young, and she herself died in 1594. Then he married in 1595 at Leeuwarden a daughter of Pieter Gomberts Ulenburgh, aunt of Saskia, the wife of the famous Dutch painter Rembrandt (!). They had 10 children, including the owner of our bible and writer of the manuscript chronicle, Cornelius, born in 1608 in Slooten, Holland. Several of these children also died early, including a child earlier named Cornelius, and one of his brothers is listed as murdered in 1630 by the "savages" in Brazil. Then follows the recording of the marriage of his sister Anna in 1620 in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, who had 12 children. Two of her sons went in the 1640’s on the ship "Zutphen" to the East-Indies. Also the marriage of his sister Maria with Wilhelmus Henricus van Wijck, with 5 children. Then his brother Petrus, who married in 1638 with Sibilla Dilburgh, without children, who soon died. He married again in 1641 with a miss Crul, who had 3 children. Then the writer records his own marriage in 1640 at Batavia in the East-Indies with the widow of a Dutch minister who died on the ship "Haerlem" sailing for the East-Indies. His wife dies when giving birth in 1642 and his daughter also dies a year later at Amsterdam. Cornelius marries again at Haarlem in 1648 with Margarieta Deymans, whose name is also printed on the front cover. They have four children. Still recorded are the death of his wife in 1655, and the marriage of his daughter Maria in 1671, who had three girls, one died early and the two others were still-born, in 1673 and 1674.
b. "Cort verhael van mijn wedervaeren, trouwdagh ende geboorten-dagh mijner kinderen". A more enlarged account of both his marriages, the birth of his children and grandchildren, written on two and a half pages, and also ending with the record of the last still-born grandchild of his daughter Maria in 1674.
c. "Memorie van verscheide saeken". Here the most interesting facts from the family business in the East-Indies are listed over almost three full pages, dated from 1631 when Cornelius gets the news of his brother’s death in Brazil by means of a letter from his brother Petrus Silvius in the East-Indies, to the year 1671 when Arend Sylvius, the son of his brother Petrus Sylvius sails for the East-Indies as "ondercoopman". Cornelius himself was in 1669 elected "bewindhebber van de Oostindische Compagnie inde Camer tot Amsterdam". One of his sons drowned in 1653 when his ship of the Dutch fleet was wrecked between "Petten en Egmont". The manuscript chronicle presents a most interesting personal picture of 17th century life and death in the Netherlands and the East-Indies.
Fine copy.- (Rebacked, with new endpapers).
Poortman, Bijbel en Prent I, p. 143 ff. on the text, and p. 188 ff. on the maps; Le Long, Boekzaal, pp. 802-9; Cat. Bijbel-Tentoonstelling Sted. Museum Amst., 1914, 634 (without maps); Cat. Tentoonstelling Bijbel en Prent p. 64 (idem); for Johannes Cornelius, father of the writer of the family chronicle, see Van der Aa VI, S 357. |
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