| Record ID | cp012049 |
| Voet reference number | 1280 |
| Museum Plantin-Moretus | |
| Author | Ludovico (or Lodovico) GUICCIARDINI |
| Title page transcription | [French title:] Descrittione ‖ di tutti ‖ i paesi Bassi [Within engraved title-page, typographically printed text:] † DESCRITTIONE □ DI M. LODOVICO ‖ GVICCIARDINI, GENTIL- ‖ HVOMO FIORENTINO, ‖ DI TVTTI I PAESI BASSI, ‖ ALTRIMENTI DETTI ‖ GERMANIA INFERIORE. ‖ Con tutte le carte di Geographia del paese, & col ‖ ritratto al naturale di molte terre principali; ‖ Riueduta di nuouo, & ampliata per tutto la ‖ terza volta dal medesimo autore. ‖ AL GRAN' RE CATTOLICO ‖ DON FILIPPO D'AVSTRIA. ‖ Con amplissimo INDICE di tutte ‖ le cose piu memorabili. ‡ IN ANVERSA, ‖ Apresso Christofano Plantino, Stampatore Regio. ‖ M.D.LXXXVIII. |
| Collation | Folio [265]: *-**⁶, A-F⁶, G⁴, H, I-Z⁶, a-p⁶, q⁴; pages [1-24], 1-432, [433-452] (Errors: 169 for 159, 152 for 252) |
| Fingerprint | 158802 - # a1 *4 odo : # a2 2*4 $a$bon - # 1b1 A e : # 1b2 Z4 da$ - # 2b1 a n : # 2b2 q3 nlo |
| Number of sheets | 119 |
| Pages | [1]: French title [2]: illustration [3]: Title [4-5]: illustrations [6]: Coat-of-arms of Guicciardini [7]: Al gran're cattolico (Antwerp, 20 October 1566, signed by Lodovico Guicciardini) [8-10]: Lodovico Guicciardini al lettore (Antwerp, 20 November 1587; italic type) [11-24]: Poems in Latin, Dutch, Greek, Italian and French by Nico. Grudius, Gaspar Schetus, Iustus Lipsius, Alexander Grapheus, Ioannes Latomus (2nd: in Dutch), Theodorus De Berty, Gerardus Falckenburgius (in Greek), Stephano Ambrosio Schiappalaria (in Italian), Senno Poggini (in Italian), Ant. Olivier (in French) (roman type, italic type, gothic type and greek type) 1-432: Text (parts and marginals in italic type) [433-450]: Indices (on three columns) [450]: Privilege (s. de Grimaldi) [451-452]: Blank |
| Edition information | |
| Variants | The illustrations were printed separately and could be inserted according to the wishes of the owners (cf. Touwaide, pages 52-55). Occasionally omissions or additions occurred. |
| Illustrations | I. Woodcut: Coat-of-arms of L. Guicciardini on page [6] (cf. no. cp012170). II. Copper engravings: 1. Introductory pieces (burin-engravings) (cf. also edition of 1581, no. 1277): page [2]: Allegorical representation of the Netherlands; page [3]: Title-page with cut-out parts for the typographical texts; page [4]: Coats-of-arms of the 17 provinces of the Netherlands, with cut-out centerpart in which is printed a smaller illustration with the arms of Philip II (including the escutcheon of Portugal: cf. no. 1278); page [5]: Allegorical representation of Arts and Sciences, with cut-out centerpart in which is printed a smaller illustration with the portrait of Philip II (with inscription 'Archidux Austriae': cf. no. 1278). 2. Illustrations: 78 engravings with maps, plans and views. The same illustrations as in the French 1582-edition, but no. 5 (plan of Antwerp) has been slightly adapted. Part of the ramparts of the citadel in the south-side of the city were demolished in 1577: this aspect is shown in the plan as reproduced in 1581 and 1582. Antwerp's capitulation in 1585 led to the rebuilding of these ramparts: their outlines have been etched in on the plate, whilst the date in the inscription in the lower right part was changed from 'CIↃ.IↃ LXXXI' into 'CIↃIↃLXXXVII'. As in the French 1582-edition the illustrations were printed separately and could as such be brought together at the end or inserted according to the wishes of the owners or the fancies of the bookbinders (cf. also under Variants). With the only exception of the plan of Antwerp, printed on pages [82-83] (the inscription 'Descrittione d'Anversa' within a decorated cartouche figures on page 81, and a printed text [beginning of the chapter on Antwerp] on page 84, so that these four pages with the plan of Antwerp could not be inserted at another place in the book) |
| Copies | Museum Plantin-Moretus- A 14Lehigh University Libraries - Bethlehem (USA, Maryland)Boston Public Library - Boston (USA, Massachusetts)KBR Royal Library of Belgium- 2 copiesCambridgeUniversity of Virginia Library - Charlottesville (USA, Virginia)Newberry Library, ChicagoBiblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze - Florence (Italy)Biblioteca Riccardiana Firenze - Florence (Italy)UL Liège- R00765DBiblioteca Nacional de PortugalBritish Library London- 2 copiesBibliothèque nationale de FrancePrinceton University Library - Princeton (USA, Rhode Island)Postel AbbeyBiblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma- 2 copiesUtrecht University LibraryVatican Apolstolic LibraryAustrian National LibraryLibrary of Congress - Washington D.C. (USA)KU Leuven- Special Collections, 7C481UNamur- R16C0008- R6B.0099 |
| Bibliographical references | Ruelens-de Backer, page 315 (1588, no. 34) Touwaide in De Gulden Passer, 49, 1971, pages 49-61Adams 1542 Cockx-Indestege, E. Belgica typographica 1362 Verhelst, K. Catalogus 16de-eeuwse drukken Limburgse bibliotheken, 202 |
| Online bibliographical references | STCV c:stcv:12913081USTC 413827 |
| Note 1 | Reprint of Plantin's Italian 1581-edition (with the addition in the introductory part of Justus Lipsius's Latin poem as it was first printed in the French 1582-edition). Guicciardini's dedicatory to Philip II (figuring in the Italian 1581-edition but dropped in the French 1582-edition) is also reproduced, but a new note by the author to the reader, dated 20 November 1587, replaces the older one (dated 1566). |
| Note 2 | Plantin had already submitted in the opening months of 1587 the text (a printed copy of the 1581-edition with the necessary changes?) to the Privy Council in order to obtain the privilege. The reactions of the members of the Privy Council were more enthusiastic than Plantin had wished: in a letter of 26 March 1587 (Corr., VIII-IX, no. 1234) Grimaldi, the secretary of the Council, told Plantin that the privileges had been signed and would be mailed (the original copy, dated 25 March 1587, is preserved in Arch. 1179, no. 228; in the edition itself the privilege is only cursorily mentioned, on page [450], without the date being given). The members of the Council had read the text with great attention and had made a number of additions or changes where they thought Guicciardini had been misinformed - changes and additions very likely written on the text forwarded by Plantin (printed 1581-copy?), which was now also sent back to the typographer. (italic type would be interesting to compare closely the texts of the 1581- and 1588-editions to see if there are differences, and in the affirmative if they could be traced to the notes provided for by the members of the Privy Council). Grimaldi furthermore let it be understood in none too covert terms, that, if the work was too expensive to have a copy presented to each of the members of the Council, at least the president and the secretary expected to receive one - and, in fact, the other members as well. |
| Note 3 | The complete edition was taken by the Italian merchant, Paulo Francheschi (or Franceschi). As the transaction with the Italian merchant is entered in Plantin's ledger in March-April 1588, but as already in January 1588 a copy could be presented to the Antwerp magistrate, it seems likely that Plantin started the project on his own initiative, but was only too willing to accept Francheschi's proposal to buy the whole stock in order to get quickly the cash-money he needed so badly. The entry in the ledger runs as follows: 'Sr. Paulo Francheschi marchandt chez le Sr. Franco Cambi doibt pour 400 pieces des descriptions del paisi basso de Lodco Guiccno, en Italien de la derniere impression aluy vendus à rayson de 21 souls de gros la piece à cause qu'il les prend touts et nous accommode du comptant à condition aussi que ne les imprimerons point en lad[ict]e langue durant le temps de trois ans, et que ceulx que prendrons à la boutique pour vendre luy ferons bons à rayson de 9 florins la pièce'. For these 400 copies Francheschi accepted to pay 420 pounds (2,520 florins Carolus guilders, or 6 florins Carolus guilders 10 stuivers per copy). The deliveries to the merchant included 120 copies on 5 March [1588], 100 on 14 March, 110 on 8 April, and finally, at an unspecified time (very likely still in April 1588), 70 copies and 10 of which 1 copy was forwarded to the merchant and 9 retained for Plantin's bookshop, forming a total of 410 copies. That was 10 copies more than agreed on. Consequently, to Francheschi's debit was entered for these 10 copies an additional sum of 10½ pounds, bringing the overall sum he had to pay to 430½ pounds. The Italian merchant met his obligations in four installments from 5 March till 13 April 1588 (Arch. 19, folio 206). A reference to this transaction is made by Plantin in a letter to Arias Montanus, 9 April 1588 (Corr., VIII-IX, no. 1365: 'Nacti scilicet quendam qui libri Guicciardini de hoc Belgio exemplaria redemerit omnia prompta pecunia, alioqui etenim defuissent facultates'). |
| Note 4 | Very likely Gucciardini re-read the Italian text before its printing. In any case he received, on 1 September 1587, 50 florins Carolus guilders as an advance-sum for the 150 florins Carolus guilders promised by Plantin for this edition, whilst he would also receive an unspecified number of copies (Arch. 64, folio 114: 'A Lodco Guicc. porté à son logis la somme de 50 florins Carolus guilders lesquels sont à bon compte de ce que mon père luy a promis de envoijer à compte de 25 livres de gros [= 150 florins Carolus guilders] de son Guiccd. oultre les copies qu'il luy a aussi promis'). |
| Note 5 | As in 1581 the author presented a copy to the magistrate of the city of Antwerp, and was rewarded with a gift of 200 florins Carolus guilders (noted on 28 January 1588: Roobaert, page 92). |
| Note 6 | A copy was mailed to Spain in May-June 1588 to H. Hornken, chaplain of Philip II (Corr., VIII-IX, nos. 1374 [letter to P. Pantinus, 21-22 May 1588], 1375 [to Hornken, 22 May 1588], and 1379 [to Pantinus, 14 June 1588]). |
| Note 7 | Not listed in M 296, M 164, and M 321. |
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