1586 Les vies et alliances des comtes de Hollande et Zelande, seigneurs de Frise

1586 printing of Les Vies et Alliances des Comtes de Hollande et Zelande, Seigneurs de Frise, with 36 illustrations of the nobility of Holland (and Zeeland), Lords of Frisia, by Philip Galle and Willem Tybaut, and one title page illustration of Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer (legendary defender of Haarlem during the Eighty Year's War; although some claim it's Holland, symbolized) attributed to Galle.

Many of the portraits were taken from Willem Thibaut's earlier works on the Comtes. He also reproduced these illustrations in stained glass. You can see some of the portraits in this book, in glass, in the Stedelijk Museum de Lakenhal.

The accompanying text written by Michiel Vosmeer (per the Huntington Libary's catalog 387797) and extracted from his Principes Hollandiae et Zelandiae...

Printed by the venerable Plantin Press, in quarto size.

Large and well-detailed portraits of period personages with details highlighting the fashions of the period. The portraits cover a variety of costume including knights, nobility, women and children.

Bibliographic Details -

Universal Short Title Catalogue (USTC) number 15467, 38 copies recorded in the world's best libraries.

Brunet - V5, 1373 "folio"

Pettegree, Walsby and WIlkinson, French Vernacular - 51492

Voet, Plantin Press, 2477

Physical Attributes -

Measures approx. 29 x 18 x 1 cm. Hardcover boards covered with blue paper with corner and spine of leather. Spine with three raised bands and a chipped label of black morocco with title in gilt. Brunet calls it a folio, although it is gathered in both 2 and four. I'm undecided, it's either a large quarto or small folio. Title page illustration, and 36 portraits.

Pages - 75, (3 - index)

Collation - A2, B-K4 (K4 deleted at printer), L2. Collates complete, despite odd K4. Catalogue entries and pagination confirm that the printer decided to collate the book in this method, as intended.

Under the rear pastedown, a faint inscription can be found. I used a blacklight and found that it was the title of a book (abbreviated), Beneficio Divisionis, Friedrich Gottlieb Zoller, 1772. This, perhaps, indicates the binding was executed around this period although I'd have guessed more recently.

Condition -

See pictures. Binding edges worn, including corners. Spine with chip at top, edge wear, and crack at front joint. A few rubs to back board. Some writing on binder's enpapers, "DFF", "Franc", etc. Text block with occasional toning, thumbing, fox spots, age edge chip/tear, candle ember spot, errant ink spot, etc. Title page and following page with ex libris stamp. Bottom corner repair (toned) at title page and small tear from bottom edge. A small worm track, some times repaired, marginal only, from the fore-edge in first half of book. Bottom margin of C1 with a repair to a tear. Many pages with a small tear at bottom edge from rough turning. Last three leaves with chip to bottom corner.