Ellen van Heteren
A mystery traveller
In the mid-seventeenth century, the Dutch city of Haarlem was a centre of culture, learning and art. In this city lived Theodorus Schrevelius, humanist and poet. Born in Haarlem in 1572, Schrevelius studied the classic languages. He became conrector and later rector of the Latin School in his home city. After twenty-four years of service, he was fired because of his remonstrant religious orientation and moved to Leiden, where he also filled the role of rector. Later, he was able to move back to Haarlem. Nearing the end of his life, he wrote the Harlemias, which added to a long list of publications by his hand. After over three hundred years, a copy of this book ended up in the special collections of the Royal Dutch Institute in Rome (KNIR). What is the story of this mystery traveller?
The Harlemias, printed in Haarlem by Thomas Fonteyn in 1648, was written because of Schrevelius’s love for the city in which he was born and raised. The author wrote a history of this city from its first building blocks to his own time. In doing so, he covered many different aspects of this history, which he divided into six ‘books’. The first book tells the tale of the city’s origins, the second of the famous siege of Haarlem, and the third that of the Dutch Revolt and reformation that followed. From the fourth book on, the subjects get more thematic: The fourth book summarizes all the city’s privileges and nobility; the fifth describes the rise of institutions such as the military, schools and police; the sixth book is all about the civility of Haarlem, its important magistrates, learned men, artisans and artists, and all other workers. The work was originally written in Latin and published in 1647, but soon it was rewritten in vernacular Dutch, because the author wanted to share his love for his city with everyone and not just the learned elite, as Schrevelius shares in his foreword to the reader. The books are accompanied by several poems and laudatory speeches.
After this engraving follows the typographical title page on which it, of course, states the entire title, the author and the impressum. On the back of this folio, someone has left their initials or some type of illegible signature. The engraving was an intricate part of the book as the same engraving is found in all other books from the print of 1648. A reprint from 1754 shows a different engraving. The larger part of the book is printed in a gothic letter, but some exceptions occur when names, poems or any type of citation is written.
Overall, the book and its paper are in excellent condition. There are no tears or breaks and no signs of biological infestations except for a little bookworm who left tiny holes in pages 247-383. With the exception of the end leaves and title pages, not a single marginalium can be found. These first few pages do carry interesting information about the provenance of the book. Most of these are, unsurprisingly, stamps and pencil-written signatures of libraries that held this book. Far more interesting, however, is a loose piece of paper that was put between the pages of the book. It contains an invitation for two persons to a concert that was organised by the Acedemie de France a Rome. A previous owner thus was somehow related to the French Academy of Rome. The catalogue of the KNIR library only reveals that the object was added to the collection in 2018, although I find this somewhat unlikely. Unfortunately, the KNIR does not seem to keep any other information about when or how this book came into the possession of the KNIR, whether it has ever been in the French Institute, or when it was bought by or donated to either institution.
A mystery traveller
The Harlemias, printed in Haarlem by Thomas Fonteyn in 1648, was written because of Schrevelius’s love for the city in which he was born and raised. The author wrote a history of this city from its first building blocks to his own time. In doing so, he covered many different aspects of this history, which he divided into six ‘books’. The first book tells the tale of the city’s origins, the second of the famous siege of Haarlem, and the third that of the Dutch Revolt and reformation that followed. From the fourth book on, the subjects get more thematic: The fourth book summarizes all the city’s privileges and nobility; the fifth describes the rise of institutions such as the military, schools and police; the sixth book is all about the civility of Haarlem, its important magistrates, learned men, artisans and artists, and all other workers. The work was originally written in Latin and published in 1647, but soon it was rewritten in vernacular Dutch, because the author wanted to share his love for his city with everyone and not just the learned elite, as Schrevelius shares in his foreword to the reader. The books are accompanied by several poems and laudatory speeches.
2 – An invitation to an event of the French Institute, sent to a previous owner of the copy, kept between the pages of the book.
1 – Portrait of Theodorus Schrevelius by Frans Hals, 1617, Frans Hals Museum.
After this engraving follows the typographical title page on which it, of course, states the entire title, the author and the impressum. On the back of this folio, someone has left their initials or some type of illegible signature. The engraving was an intricate part of the book as the same engraving is found in all other books from the print of 1648. A reprint from 1754 shows a different engraving. The larger part of the book is printed in a gothic letter, but some exceptions occur when names, poems or any type of citation is written.
Overall, the book and its paper are in excellent condition. There are no tears or breaks and no signs of biological infestations except for a little bookworm who left tiny holes in pages 247-383. With the exception of the end leaves and title pages, not a single marginalium can be found. These first few pages do carry interesting information about the provenance of the book. Most of these are, unsurprisingly, stamps and pencil-written signatures of libraries that held this book. Far more interesting, however, is a loose piece of paper that was put between the pages of the book. It contains an invitation for two persons to a concert that was organised by the Acedemie de France a Rome. A previous owner thus was somehow related to the French Academy of Rome. The catalogue of the KNIR library only reveals that the object was added to the collection in 2018, although I find this somewhat unlikely. Unfortunately, the KNIR does not seem to keep any other information about when or how this book came into the possession of the KNIR, whether it has ever been in the French Institute, or when it was bought by or donated to either institution.
In the mid-seventeenth century, the Dutch city of Haarlem was a centre of culture, learning and art. In this city lived Theodorus Schrevelius, humanist and poet. Born in Haarlem in 1572, Schrevelius studied the classic languages. He became conrector and later rector of the Latin School in his home city. After twenty-four years of service, he was fired because of his remonstrant religious orientation and moved to Leiden, where he also filled the role of rector. Later, he was able to move back to Haarlem. Nearing the end of his life, he wrote the Harlemias, which added to a long list of publications by his hand. After over three hundred years, a copy of this book ended up in the special collections of the Royal Dutch Institute in Rome (KNIR). What is the story of this mystery traveller?
Because this work and its six books cover such a wide arrange of topics, it has been widely used in (art-)historical and biographical research from as early as the mid-nineteenth century. To name just a few, this work has supported studies about political participation in the seventeenth century, public and private culture, painters and paintings, humanists, the history of education and a multitude of biographies. Not only the contents of the book are interesting to historians; also the fact that this history was written in the first place calls for attention. This is why this work was also used in studies about the origins of city descriptions in particular and the history of ‘history’ in general. I would like to add to these studies by taking a closer look at the copy in the special collection of the KNIR.
The book has an undecorated parchment and paper binding that seems to be original, as I cannot find any signs of cuts that would suggest restoration or replacement. Written with ink on the spine is ‘Schrevelii Beschrijving van Haerlem’. As we open the book, we see that the first end leave has separated from the cover, so we can see the cardboard and edges of the parchment and paper bindings. After two front leaves follows a copper engraving depicting many things that are connected to the (mythical) history of Haarlem. At the bottom we see two angels holding a banner of the city view. Above, we find a little rowing boat, covered with coats of arms. Inside the boat is a little girl holding a little statue of an angel that is handing her a laurier crown. We also see a knight on a horse and a woman with a pirate’s hat holding some sort of plant and a shield. Next to the boat is an oval shaped portrait of Laurentius Costerus, or Laurens Jansz. Coster, the fabled inventor of the printing press in Haarlem. Other than this engraving, the book does not contain any images, only slightly decorated initials and a sole historiated initial that precedes a poem. Some of the figures in the engraving are explained in the poem about the Damiaten, that ends the book. For example, the boat is a ‘rogge-schip’; the knight symbolises the power of the houses depicted on the shields; finally, the laurier crown is handed to the Haarlemmers for their bravery.
​
Although the book does not seem to be very special – the binding is bland and the book block is practically the same as the day it left the printer – it has travelled a long way to end up in Rome with someone who must have been interested in its contents, since its materiality is so unremarkable. Who was interested in reading, or simply owning, this history of the City of Haarlem so far from the Dutch Republic? And what part does the French Institute play in this history? These questions have yet to be answered...
3 – Engraving that precedes the typographical title page. The meaning of these (mythical) figures are explained in a poem that closes the book.
Bibliography
​
-
Aa, A. J. van der, Biographisch woordenboek der Nederlanden. Deel 17, eerste stuk. Haarlem, 1874.
-
Classen, A. (ed.), Imagination and Fantasy in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Time. Boston: De Gruyter, 2020.
-
Dorren, G., Eenheid en verscheidenheid. De burgers van Haarlem in de Gouden Eeuw. Amsterdam: Prometheus, 2001.
-
Flament, A. J A., ‘De “Waerlyke voorsegginghe” van Johannes Brugman. Volume 1’, in: Archief voor Nederlandse Kerkgeschiedenis 4:1 (1892), p. 85-108.
-
Jongste, J. A. F. de, Onrust in het Spaarne. Haarlem in de jaren 1747-1751. Amsterdam: Bataafse Leeuw, 1984.
-
Langerijs, S., Geschiedenis als ambacht. Oudheidkunde in de Gouden Eeuw: Arnoldus Buchelius en Petrus Scriverius. Hilversum: Uitgeverij Verloren, 2001.
-
Stokum, W. P. van & Zoon, Land en volk van Nederland. Beschrijving der provinciën en steden harer inwoners. Catalogus van boeken en kaarten. Den Haag: Van Stockum, 1895.
-
Vanhaelen, A., The Wake of Iconoclasm. Painting the Church in the Dutch Republic. Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2012.
Ellen van Heteren