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The Collation

A ballet for the Polish prince

In  my previous Collation post, I discussed a rare broadside announcing a Jesuit theater performance held in Brussels in September 1624. The Jesuits hoped that Ladislas Sigismund Wasa, who was traveling through Europe, would honor that event with his presence. Whether that happened remains uncertain, but thanks to a printed report, we do know that the Polish prince attended a ballet organized at the behest of the Archduchess Isabella Clara Eugenia. The Folger Shakespeare Library holds what we believe is the unique copy of that report, Diane triomphante. 1 What is even more exciting than this quarto booklet’s unique status is that it is the earliest printed account of a ballet performed in the Southern Netherlands. 2

  1. The Folger acquired it in 1961 as part of lot number 72 from the property of the Marquess of Downshire, which indirectly came to us through the book seller H.W. Edwards.
  2. I am currently preparing an article about this ballet, about which I recently spoke at a conference at the Royal Library of the Netherlands, The Hague, which was organized by the Werkgroep Zeventiende Eeuw: De zingende Nederlanden, 24 August 2013.
  3. Die Reise des Kronprinzen Władyslaw Wasa in die Länder Westeuropas in den Jahren 1624/1625. München: C.H. Beck 1988, p. 111; about Pac, see pp. 18–20.

Comments

Intriguing, Goran, your explication of the pamphlet. As to the printed pamphlet per se, is the tailpiece on the title page meant to depict Hubert Antoine’s aigle d’or? (In the image online, it looks more like a death’s head.)

Donald Farren — September 18, 2013

Reply

Thank you for your question, Donald!
As you point out, the decoration on the title-page is a tailpiece, in this case a rather crude image of an angel (hence the wings) surrounded by acanthus leaves and flours. The angel holds an round object in his arms, which I cannot identify.
Hubert Antoine was the court’s printer (c. 1615–1630) and his shop was located “in de Gulden Arend”, “à l’Aigle d’Or”, “sub Aquila Aurea”. This is certainly not what is depicted on the tailpiece. The Short Title Catalogue Flanders (www.stcv.be) contains 93 editions published by Hubert Antoine, but any of the 47 title-pages which are currently linked to the descriptions holds a printer’s device, and this tailpiece is not used on any other title-page than the one referred to in my Collation post. Tailpieces and headpieces are not commonly used on title-pages; they do sometimes turn up, as an alternative of other decorative elements (fleurons, vignettes, printer’s devices). Their function is to embellish and to fill the empty space.

Goran Proot — September 19, 2013

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Hi. I am writing about old Romanian books printed by a German tipography in Sibiu (In German called Hermannstadt), Romania 200 years ago. Tell me, please, which is the word that we should use for these men who were buying a book before it was printed? In Romanian we call them ,,prenumeranti,, Thanks!

Cornel Maria — September 22, 2013

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