Bible, Dutch, Dordrecht, 1686, illuminated and coloured, near-contemporary red morocco gilt

Bible. Old Testament. Dutch

Biblia, dat is de gantsche H. Schrifture, vervattende alle de Canonijcke Boecken des Ouden en des Nieuwen Testaments. Dordrecht: Hendrick and Jacob Keur; Amsterdam: Marcus Doornick, 1686

Old Testament only, folio (448 x 277mm.), engraved frontispiece, engraved title-page, signed beneath the authorisation by the Secretary Herman van der Honert, woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces, double-page engraved world map at start of text, 2 double-page engraved maps of the Holy Land, 2 double-page engraved plates (torn at foot of fold), large folding engraved plate of Jerusalem; additionally illustrated with: 3 engraved plates of the Tower of Babel (2 folding, one single page, all cut out and laid down), 21 single and 2 double-page engraved plates (cut out and laid down, some with multiple images, some with manuscript captions), each within a coloured border, FINE CONTEMPORARY HAND-COLOURING AND ILLUMINATION of the title-page, frontispiece, maps and plates, and some initials, FINE EARLY EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY DUTCH RED MOROCCO GILT, spine gilt in compartments, gilt edges, a few maps torn along foot of fold, extremities slightly rubbed, small tear at head of upper joint

A handsome copy of the States-General edition of the Old Testament, with fine colouring. The binding can be dated to the early eighteenth century. The inner roll-tooled border with the bird motif is used by the Pentateuch Bindery (c. 1727-1777), and the British Library has a binding dated 1715 (shelfmark 3.a.6) which has several of the same tools but is not assigned to a particular bindery.

The world map contains classical motifs in the borders which are taken from Berchem's surround for Visscher's world map of 1658 (Shirley 406). It was engraved by Stoopendaal and was first used by the Keur brothers in their 1682 Bible. The additional plates in this copy include some after Jan Luyken (including the Tower of Babel) which can also be dated to the early eighteenth century.

PROVENANCE

Mr J Soutendam, inscription on inside front cover dated 11 January 1869

LITERATURE

STCN 140166106 (OT and NT); Shirley 513; this edition not in Darlow & Moule