Gielis vander Hecken, 1491-1538 — c. 1530 (before 1538), with some additions after 1538; Flemish, Augustinian priory of Zevenborren

Title

Gielis vander Hecken, 1491-1538 — c. 1530 (before 1538), with some additions after 1538; Flemish, Augustinian priory of Zevenborren

Shelfmark

MS. Douce 373

Associated place

Brussels

Date

c. 1530 (before 1538), with some additions after 1538

Language

Latin

Middle Dutch (ca. 1050-1350)

Contents

Form

codex

Support

paper

Physical extent

i (modern paper, fol. 1) + 3 (medieval parchment) + 33 + i (modern paper, fol. xxxiii)

Hands

Latin verses in humanistic script.

Dutch verses in textualis.

Decoration

Good drawings by Gielis vander Hecken; three miniatures (fols. 22–24) by an assistant (Evans, 38-9; Pächt and Alexander i. 402)

Diagrammatic map of Brussels.

Binding

19th-century binding.

Acquisition

Bequeathed to the Bodleian in 1834.

Provenance

Augustinian priory of Zevenborren: see above, drawings created by Gieles den Hecke, custos of Zevenborren, for use in the priory; the volume was compiled after his death by his cousin Joos van Hecke and given to the priory.

Apparently remained at the priory until its suppression in 1784: 'Reverendo Domino Joanni Antonio Steemans ad 7tem Fontes canonico regulari ... a Josepho 2do suppresso 13 Junii 1784' (fol. 2r).

Unidentified English bookseller's catalogue, no. 548 (front pastedown), with the title 'Reformatio laquetis aislanguentis anime', and then bound with 51 prints.

Unidentified English bookseller's catalogue, no. 36, priced £8 18.s. 6d. (front pastedown).

Thomas Thorpe, catalogue, 1831, no. 4393, price 10 guineas.

Francis Douce, 1757–1834: probably acquired from Thorpe in 1831.

Title

Thirty-three large allegorical or emblematic drawings, all except the last on religious or moral subjects

Shelfmark

MS. Douce 373

Summary

Subjects include 'Reformatio languentis anime', 'Speculum Timoris', ' Scutum Fidei', 'Ecce Homo', ' Stella Maris', 'Ecclesia' and the like, in the style of the early block books: all with Latin poems descriptive of the drawings, and nearly all with Dutch poems in addition. The numerous Latin sentences in the drawings are in red, blue, or black.

The last drawing (fol. xxxii) is a glorification of Brussels, her religious houses and great men: the corresponding verses point out that seven is a dominant number there.

From three leaves of parchment prefixed, which bear a long Latin and a long Dutch poem, it is clear that the drawings are by Gielis van den Hecke (Aegidius Heckius), who died in August 1538, and were designed for the use of the Priory van Zeven Bronen (Seven Borren, Septem Fontium) at Brussels: his nephew Joos (Judocus) van den Hecke wrote these two poems, and presented the whole to that house. A cutting from an English bookseller's catalogue (no. 548) shows that the volume once had 51 engravings at the end.

'Reverendo Domino Joanni Antonio Steemans ad 7tem Fontes canonico regulari ... à Josepho 2do suppresso 13 Junii 1784.'.

Date

written in about 1520-1530 at Brussels by Gielis van den Hecke

Language

Latin

Dutch

Physical facet

On paper, with pen-and-ink drawings

Physical extent

38 Leaves