Friday, February 03, 2006

Konstboeck





If I was preparing BibliOdyssey posts on paper I think I'd have a rubber stamp that said: 'These look cool, but I can't tell you much about them because the translation software is just appalling'.
[but I complain too much]


Or at least, I can say that these images come from a collection of 141 plates known as the 'Schijnvoet Konstboeck' from the early 18th century. Simon Schijnvoet (sometimes spelled Schynvoet or Schynvoot) was a Dutch master builder, designer, architect, horticulturist, poet and collector.

[There is mention of Maria Sybilla Merian and Surinam but I don't understand the connection]


The illustrations were produced by Catharina Lintheimer, Alida Withoos, Johannes Bronckhorst and Pieter Holsteijn and are online at the Wageningen UR Library in Holland. It's an old website and this thumbnail page is a bit of a load - don't be fooled, the images look much better when enlarged.


Previously: The Tulip Book.

Posted by peacay at 6:41 am



4 comments :

Anonymous said...

Hi Peacay,

Here's a translation of the reference to Maria Sybilla Merian in the Dutch text: it says that among the drawings by Schijnvoet that were sold at an early eighteenth-century auction, there were also 120 drawings of Surinam insects by his second wife, Cornelia de Rijck. With regard to quality, these drawings are comparable to Maria Sybilla Merian's (there's your answer). The drawings by Cornelia de Rijck are now in the Royal Academy of Science in Stockholm. Perhaps they have a website, too, so that we can judge for ourselves?

04 February, 2006 03:01
peacay said...

Thanks very much Kristine!

I was nearly going to email you and ask for your help! (But I decided I would save it up for another day)

I looked around some of the sites attached to the Swedish Sci Academy - http://www.kva.se - but I didn't see anything.

I wrote them an email asking if any images are online. We shall see.

Cheers!

04 February, 2006 04:55
liesbeth missel said...

Hi,

you might like to mention the correct name of the organisation that holds the Konst-Boeck of Simon Schijnvoet, namely the Wageningen UR Library. This is not the municipal library but the library of Wageningen University and Research centre. If you have further questions about the collections you can ask me.

06 November, 2009 21:13
peacay said...

My apologies Liesbeth: I will correct the reference.

06 November, 2009 21:21

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