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Het Schilder-Boeck


Het Leven der oude antijcke doorluchtighe Schilders (The Lives of the Ancient Painters)
Het Leven der Moderne oft dees-tijtsche doorluchtighe Italiaensche Schilders (Lives of Famous Contemporary Italian Painters)
Het Leven der doorluchtighe Nederlandtsche en hooghduytsche Schilders (Lives of Famous Netherlandish and High German Painters)
Pictorum aliquot celebriun præcipué Germaniæ inferioris, effigies
Author: Karel van Mander (Netherlandish, 1548–1606)
Author: Dominicus Lampsonius (Netherlandish, 1532–1599)
Engraver: Jacob Matham (Netherlandish, 1571–1631)
After: Karel van Mander (Netherlandish, 1548–1606)
Engraver: Jan Saenredam (Dutch, 1565–1607)
After: Hendrick Goltzius (Dutch, 1558–1617)
Engraver: Hendrik Hondius, the Elder (Dutch, 1573–1650)
Engraver: Simon Wynouts Frisius (Netherlandish, about 1580–1629)
Engraver: Robert Willemsz de Baudous (Netherlandish, about 1575–about 1644)
Engraver: Andries Jacobsz Stock (Netherlandish, about 1580?–after 1648)
Publisher: Paschier van Wesbusch (Dutch, 17th century)
1604
Place of Publication: Haarlem, Netherlands

Medium/Technique Illustrated book with engraved title, author portrait; extra-illustrated with 95 engravings, 52 woodcuts, and 40 drawings
Dimensions Overall (Vol. I): 21 x 16.7 x 5.8 cm (8 1/4 x 6 9/16 x 2 5/16 in.)
Credit Line William A. Sargent Fund
Accession Number1996.36a-b
NOT ON VIEW
ClassificationsIllustrated books
Haarlem: Paschier van Wesbusch, 1604

Catalogue Raisonné New Hollstein, Hondius, nos. 80-115
Description(Haarlem: Paschier van Wesbusch, 1604) Octavo; 212 leaves; [vol. I], 110 leaves; [vol. II], extra-illustrated with prints and drawings on 187 leaves; contemporary blind-stamped vellum, white phase boxes.

Allegorical engraved title page, author portrait, and numerous portraits of Italian and Netherlandish artists.

First edition, in two volumes incorporating van Mander's lives of ancient, Italian, and Netherlandish and German painters (with individual letterpress title pages dated 1603 and 1604). It does not contain his explanation of Ovid's Metamorphoses or lessons for young painters, which were issued at the same time and often found bound together. Vol. 1 includes allegorical titlepage engraved by Jacob Matham after van Mander, and author’s portrait engraved by Jan Saenredam after Hendrik Goltzius; Vol. 2 is extra-illustrated with the engraved title and portraits issued by Hendrick Hondius ca. 1610 (engraved by Hondius, Baudous, Frisius, and Stock) partly derived from Lampsonius's Pictorum aliquot celebrium præcipiué Germaniæ inferioris. In addition to the Hondius set, both volumes are extra-illustrated with other engravings, 52 woodcuts, and 40 pen-and-ink drawings. Title pages in both volumes have a line added in pen and ink: Met ingevoeged portretten (with numerous inserted portraits). The date of the insertions and binding is most probably late 17th century. Vol. 1 contains anonymous woodcuts from the third edition of Vasari (Bologna: Manolessi, 1647), and Vol. 2 contains a Blooteling mezzotint dated 1671. Other engravers represented include van Dyck, de Gheyn, Hollar, Holsteyn, Suyderhoef, and van de Velde.

The MFA holds a second copy of this edition, in the rare book collection of the Center for Netherlandish Art (call number ND625 .M24 1604).
ProvenanceRichard Heber (b. 1773 - d. 1833), with inscription as to his purchase from [Hope?] for £5.12.6; Archibald Philip, 5th Earl of Rosebery and Midlothian (b. 1847 - d. 1929). 1996, sold by Ars Libri, Ltd., Boston (their cat. 106, no. 40), to the MFA. (Accession Date: March 17, 1996)