3D illustrations of British History: Mary Stuart and Elizabeth I

Antique wooden basrelief I Mary Stuart and Elizabeth I of England, after 1877

Two bas-reliefs elegantly framed have been exposed in our main room for a while. They were perking from one of the shelves, capturing the attention of everyone visiting the shop, was it for the antiques or for the wines. At a first glance they seem carved in ivory as the surface is rather shimmery and…

Sorrow and loss in occasional poems

[Occasional poem, 1796] Op den dood van Harriot Sowden, overleden den 7 october 1796, oud 3 jaaren. z.p. 8º: [4] p.

Sometimes poems provide us with incredible details. See for instance our occasional poem on the death of Harriot Sowden, 3 years old. On the moment of her death her mother was 8 months a widow, she was hit by a luggage cart broken loose at the flower market. Jacob Gotts managed to save two children…

Portrait of Abraham Velters (1603-1690)

Portrait of Abraham Velters (1603-1690)

We have recently described a beautiful portrait of Amsterdam merchant and art collector Abraham Velters. It is a remarkable copy after a painting by Jacob Adriaensz. Backer (1608-1651), last seen at Christie’s in 2012. The Rijksmuseum holds a copy of the marvellous portrait, but it’s much more clumsy and less neat than our watercolor. Find…

Oudejaarsdag 1790, dikke mist in Amsterdam

fog mist antiquariaat arine van der steur

Tientallen drenkelingen in de Amsterdamse grachten, zelfs een koets te water. In dit pamflet uit 1791 beginnen enkele bewoners aan de grachten een crowdfunding avant la lettre. Aangekondigd wordt dat er intekenlijsten in diverse grachtenpanden liggen voor diegenen die willen bijdragen aan het financieren van relingen. Kennelijk bleef het probleem bestaan. Het tweede pamflet in…

A love story: Eeuwigduurende liefdes almanak by Philomúsus Philokaus (Albertus van Twist) and Philander Mirtillo, 1721

A love story: Eeuwigduurende liefdes almanak by Philomúsus Philokaus (Albertus van Twist) and Philander Mirtillo, 1721

It was only until the end of the eighteenth century that the ideals of Enlightment became generally accepted. Almanacs changed as a result, the astrological predictions made way in favor of other features. Increasingly the compilers of these almanacs replaced the weather forecasts and similar incongruity, in the words of Amsterdam based publisher Theodorus Crajenschot…

Bandit Hero Cartouche

Bandit Hero Cartouche

Ever heard of the modern 18th century Robin Hood: Louis Dominque Cartouche (Paris 1693-1721)? He was a French social bandit, criminal. Didn’t succeed in school and therefore became a bandit and head of a gang of robbers. His nickname being l’enfant, being only 1m50. He was acting together with Francois Louis Gurthus de Châtelet, nicknamed…