Incredibly rare mid-16th century Antwerp edition of the Dutch adaptation of the famous Sachsenspiegel (literally "Saxon Mirror"), one of the most important law books and custumals written, compiled and translated from the Latin between ca. 1220 and 1235 by the Saxon administrator Eike von Repgow (1180-1235). It is a compilation of existing local and traditional customary laws and rulings of the Holy Roman (German) Empire and used in places until as late as 1900. The Sachsenspiegel contains two parts of law: common law and feudal law and its influence, or at least parallels with it, can still be found in modern German and Dutch law, for instance in inheritance law.
There are more than 500 manuscripts left, some of which richly illustrated. The first German edition was published in Basel in 1474 with the title Landrecht; the title Sachsenspiegel was first used in an edition of 1484 printed in Augsburg. The Dutch version was first printed in Gouda by Gerard Leeu in 1479 (IDL, 1676), the present 1550 Antwerp edition appeared in the same year as an Amsterdam edition printed by Jan Ewoutzoon. Our Antwerp edition was printed by Marie Ancxt, the widow of Jacob van Liesveld, printer of the famous Liesveld Bible in 1526, who was active as printer/publisher from 1546 to 1566.
The present work is incredibly rare, we have not been able to trace any copies that have appeared on the market in the last 100 years. Additionally, we have only found one copy held at an institution worldwide, namely at the Plantin Moretus Museum in Antwerp.
The spine is rubbed and with some leather missing from the head of the spine, the corners and edges of the boards show slight signs of wear. Further with a slight water stain in the top margin throughout. Otherwise in good condition. Belg. Typ., no. 6780; USTC 430461/408666 (1 copy); WorldCat 902387104 (1 copy, same as USTC); not in STCV.