De Gulden Passer. Jaargang 27

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English summary

Ferdinand of Austria, Governor of the Southern Netherlands made his Joyous Entry into Antwerp on April 17, 1635. The decoration of the city had been carried out under the supervision of Peter Paul Rubens, assisted by a selection of artists of every kind. So overwhelming was the impression left by the festivities, that the city authorities decided to publish a book to perpetuate this almost fancyful event.

On May 25 the Municipality of Antwerp charged Theodoor van Thulden, painter engraver and pupil to Rubens, with the confection of the book, the engravings being trusted to this young artist. Caspar Gevartius, town-clerk and author of the rhiming inscriptions on the triumphal arches should relate in classic Latin every detail of Entry and Reception.

Prince-Cardinal Ferdinand dying suddenly on November 9, 1641, the Antwerp authorities, to avoid dedicating the book to a dead person, changed the date of its dedication into Juny 14, 1641.

The publishing of the Pompa introitus Ferdinandi was not a light task. Caspar Gevartius' prose did not get ready. The expenses of the book grew frightfully. A quarrel arisen between Theodoor van Thulden and the Municipality hardly could be settled by a court of arbitration composed of painters, engravers and printers.

To the end of January, 1643, the atlas-size Pompa introitus Ferdinandi appeared on the bookmarket. The expenses - save several extra charges - amounting to 7900 guilders.

This beautiful book was published in 5 copies on parchment, 3 of then with hand-coloured plates, 600 copies on Venetion or Lyons paper.

It has to be noticed that all the fancy-copies went into foreign possession and never came back to Antwerp. As a matter of fact 200 copies reserved to the Municipal Authorities form the original sound edition, without alterations or additions by editor or publisher.

When drawing up the bibliography of Casp. Gevartius' works for the Bibliotheca Belgica, Marcel Hoc in 1922 went on exploration of the remaining copies of the monumental book, he scarcely discovered sixteen of them. A small number indeed; moreover two of them were destroyed during the

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second world-war. A new investigation in Belgium and abroad, carried out in 1949, showed up 80 copies. Thirty five were examined closely in behalf of the present bibliography. For particulars about the other 55 I had to rely on informations by correspondence.

This investigation showed following results:

Several copies of the Pompa introitus Ferdinandi show alterations in the half-title, in the imprint on the engraved title-page, and in the colophon. It proved very difficult to bring chronological order into the variations gradually made to the glorious book. Normally we have to start from the year in the colophon, then examining the imprint, to end with the half-title. Following list gives a good view on the changes:

A. - Copies bearing 1641 in the colophon

1.	Titleprint. Next to descripta an empty rectangular spot, underneath on pedestal between paws: Antverpiae, || Venevnt Exemplaria Apvd Theod. A Tvlden, || Qui Iconum Tabulas ex Archetypis Rubenianis delineauit et scalpsit. || Half-title: Pompa || Introitvs || Ferdinandi || Avstriaci || Hispaniarvm Infantis, & || In || Vrbem Antverpiam. || 7 lines.
2.	Titleprint. Next to descripta is following: Iconum Tabulas ex Archetypis Rubenianis delineauit || et scalpsit Theod. à Thulden. || Underneath on pedestal between paws: Antverpiae || Vendvntvr Apvd Theod. A. Tvlden. || Half-title: Pompa || Introitvs || Ferdinandi || Avstriaci || Hispaniarvm Infantis, &c. || In Vrbem Antverpiam. || 7 lines.

B. - Copies bearing 1642 in the colophon

1.

Titleprint. Next to descripta an empty rectangular spot, underneath on pedestal between paws: Antverpiae, || Venevnt Exemplaria Apvd Theod. A Tvlden, || Qui Iconum Tabulas ex Archetypis Rubenianis delineauit et scalpsit. || a. Half-title: Pompa || Introitvs || Ferdinandi || Avstriaci || Hispaniarvm Infantis, &c. || In || Vrbem Antverpiam. || 7 lines. b. Half-title. Pompa || Trivmphalis || Ferdinandi || Avstriaci || Hispaniarvm Infantis, &c. || In || Vrbem Antverpiam. || 7 lines. c. Half-title. Pompa || Trivmphalis || Introitvs || Ferdinandi || Avstriaci || Hispaniarvm Infantis, &c. || In || Vrbem Antverpiam. || 8 lines.

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2.	Titleprint. Next to descripta an empty rectangular spot, underneath on pedestral between paws: Antverpiae, || Venevnt Exemplaria Apvd Theod. A Tvlden, || Qui Iconum Tabulas ex Archetypis Rubenianus delineauit et scalpsit. || Underneath: Prostant apud Henricum Aertssens, & Guilielmum Lesteenium. a. Half-title: Pompa || Introitvs || Ferdinandi || Avstriaci || Hispaniarvm Infantis, &c. || In Vrbem Antverpiam. || 7 lines. b. Half-title: Pompa || Trivmphalis || Introitvs || Ferdinandi || Avstriaci || Hispaniarvm Infantis, &c. || Vrbem Antverpiam. || 8 lines.
3.	[Titleprint is pasting upon]. Next to descripta an empty rectangular spot, underneath on pedestral between paws: Antverpiae, || Venevnt Exemplaria Apvd Theod. A Tvlden, || Qui Iconum Tabulas ex Archetypis Rubenianis delineauit et scalpsit. || a. Underneath the titleprint: Prostant exemplaria apud Guilielmum Lesteenium et Henricum Aertssens. Half-title: Pompa || Trivmphalis || Introitvs || Ferdinandi || Avstriaco || Hispaniarvm Infantis, &c. || In || Vrbem Antverpiam. || 8 lines. b. Underneath the half-title: Prostant exemplaria apud Guilielmum Lesteenium et Henricum Aertssens.
4.	Titleprint. Next to descripta is following: Iconum Tabulas ex Archetypis Rubenianis delineauit || et scalpsit Theod. à Thulden. || Underneath on pedestral between paws: Antverpiae, || Vendvntvr Apvd Theod. A Tvlden. || Half-title: Pompa || Introitvs || Ferdinandi || Avstriaci || Hispaniarvm Infantis, &c. || In || Vrbem Antverpiam. || 7 lines.
5.	Titleprint. Next to descripta is following on pedestral between paws: Iconum Tabulas ex Archetypis Rubenianis delineauit || et scalpsit Theod. à Tulden. || Underneath the pedestral: Antverpiae, || Apvd Ioannem Mevrsivm. || a. Half-title: Pompa || Introitvs || Ferdinandi || Avstriaci || Hispaniarvm Infantis, &c. || In Vrbem Antverpiam. || 7 lines. b. Half-title: Pompa || Trivmphalis || Introitvs || Ferdinandi || Hispaniarvm Infantis, &c. || In || Vrbem Antverpiam. || 8 lines.

The engravings illustrating the book require a separate study.

According to the index behind, the book contains XXXIX engravings. Nrs XVII (nrs 17-19 or 1-3) and XVIII (nrs 20-22 or 4-6) both refer to

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three engravings forming an independant whole, the edition really contains 43 engravings.

A great deal of the copies alternately show, some the horseman portrait, some the half-length portrait, other both portraits of the Prince-Cardinal Ferdinand. The first picture illustrates the 200 copies reserved to the Municipal Authorities of Antwerp.

The list does not mention following prints: 1. The half-length portrait of Prince-Cardinal Ferdinand. 2. The portrait of Casper Gevartius. 3. The portrait of P.P. Rubens. 4. The engraving by Schelte à Bolswert. 5. The balustrade details of the Triumphal Arch of the XII Austrian emperors. 6. The unfinished engraving representing the Joyous Entry of Prince Cardinal Ferdinand into Antwerp. 7. The design of a triumphal arc. 8. The tombstone of J. Gevartius. 9. The roman coins, the medals, and the seven-branched candlestick. The half-length portrait of Prince Cardinal Ferdinand bears the number 2. The engraving by Schelte à Bolswert in the right-top corner records pag. 145. The whole set of the pictures accidently is found back in a number of copies not precisely to state.

From all this diversities the Antwerp bibliophile Frans Mols concludes to two editions of the grand book. The different dates in the colophon, the changing imprint, the quality of the paper, differences in the numbering and tint of the pictures lay the foundations for his argumentation. But he keeps silence about the other disparities between the pretented editions.

Fernand Donnet following his footsteps found proof for the existence of two different editions in two contracts between Theodoor van Thulden and the Municipality of Antwerp. The first contract being signed in 1535 should refer to the first edition issued in 1641. The second contract, concluded 1641 should point to the second edition issued in 1642. The Collegiale Actenboeken prove that the monumental work hardly was completed on December 13, 1642.

The preface to the present bibliography, systematically and with objectivity, notes the results of a recent inquiry concerning the edition of the Pompa introitus Ferdinandi. Hundreds of copies escaped to our investigation being lost in the course of time, torn asunder by print-collectors, or reduced to ruins in wartimes. Closer search probably will complete or improve the statements of the present contribution.

The history of this glorious book, which original soundness was soiled by irreverend hands, surely keeps in stock many surprise for further investigators.

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Naschrift

Ik zou aan mijn plicht van dankbaarheid te kort komen, indien ik niet in het bijzonder de aandacht vestigde op de buitengewone hulpvaardigheid, welke ik bij het samenstellen van deze bibliografie mocht ondervinden bij openbare bibliotheken en bij partikulieren. De opzoekingen naar de nog overblijvende exemplaren van de Pompa introitus Ferdinandi hadden voor gevolg een uitgebreide briefwisseling met bibliothekarissen en bibliofielen. De namen van de personen en van de bibliotheken worden vermeld op bladzijden 337-338 van dit werk. Voor de medewerking betuig ik alle hier mijn oprechte dank. Enkele namen dienen nochtans in het bijzonder te worden vermeld: Gerard Schmook, Direkteur der bibliotheken te Antwerpen, Dr. Franz Schauwers, konservator bij de Koninklijke Bibliotheek te Brussel, Prof. Dr. René Apers, hoofdbibliothekaris van de Staatsuniversiteit te Gent.