[WETSTEIN, George].
Het gelukkig ongeval. Bly-eindend treurspel.
Amsterdam, Heirs of J. Lescailje en Dirk Rank, 1721.
With:
(2) IDEM. Erik, Prins van Zweden. Treurspel.
Amsterdam, Heirs of J. Lescailje and Dirk Rank, 1722.
(3) IDEM. Gustavus Adolphus. Koning van Zweden, beschermer der Duitsche vryheit. Oorlogspel.
Amsterdam, Heirs of J. Lescailje and Dirk Rank, 1723. 3 works in 1 volume. 8vo. Each work with an engraved frontispiece, the original preliminary ink drawing for the frontispiece, protected by tissue paper guards, and an engraved device on the title page. Contemporary gold-tooled olive morocco, with a red morocco title label lettered in gold on the spine lettered, bound by the so-called Fleur-de-Lis Bindery (The Hague 1729-ca. 1756; Storm van Leeuwen, IIA, pp. 110-117). With the coat of arms of Aaron de Joseph de Pinto in the centre of both boards, tooled onto a red morocco inlay of the same shape, surrounded by richly ornamental borders with the crowned monogram of De Pinto (ADJP) in the corners, the same monogram repeated in 5 of the 6 compartments on the spine, gold-tooled board edges and turn-ins, gilt edges, marbled endpapers. 88; 83; 87 pp.
€ 16,500
Beautiful copy of the first and only editions of three plays written for the Amsterdam Theatre, bound with the original preliminary drawings for the frontispieces. The first is by Abraham Zeeman (1695-1754), the second by Jan Wandelaar (1690-1759), and the third is not signed. The three tragedies, which are the only plays written by George Wetstein (dates unknown), rank among the better Dutch plays from the beginning of the eighteenth century, and were commissioned by the board of the Amsterdam Orphanage and Old men's home, which was also the board of the Amsterdam Theatre.
The present copy has been luxuriously bound for the wealthy Amsterdam merchant Aaron de Joseph de Pinto (1710-1758), who was of Portuguese Jewish origin. He was a bibliophile and book collector who often commissioned binderies to make bindings for his library. These bindings are typically richly gold-tooled, adorned with his coat-of-arms and crowned monogram "ADJP". The present work is extra luxurious because of the addition of the drawings. De Pinto mainly worked with an Amsterdam binder, who made several bindings for him in the years 1743-1765, and the so-called "Heraldische Lelie-binderij" (or Fleur-de-Lis Bindery) at The Hague during the years around 1735-40. The present copy was bound by the latter, as we have been able to identify four stamps and a roll from this bindery on the boards. The present binding also includes stamp B of the three known stamps with the coat-of-arms of De Pinto, here tooled onto a red morocco inlay, and his crowned monogram on the spine and boards.
With the bookplate of Aron de Joseph de Pinto mounted on the front pastedown, and the bookplate of Six van Hillegom mounted on the verso of the first flyleaf, an erased ownership annotation on the title-page. The binding shows only very minor traces of use. The work is very lightly browned and foxed, the second drawing without a tissue paper guard. Otherwise in very good condition. Van der Aa, p. 51; Ad 1: STCN 241160138 (8 copies); Worp II, p. 141; Ad 2: Van Aken, Catalogus Nederlands toneel I, p. 455; STCN 17068279X (10 copies); Ad 3: Van Aken, Catalogus Nederlands toneel I, p. 464; STCN 180925563 (10 copies); cf. for the binding: Storm van Leeuwen, De 18e-eeuwse Haagse boekband, pp. 76-79 and 398 (stamps 23, 27, 14, 37/38; nrs. 118-22, and plate 12); Storm van Leeuwen, Dutch decorated bookbinding, IIA, pp. 110-117 (for the De Pinto bindings see pp.111-112).
Related Subjects:
