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Book/Printed Material Quadruple Spectacle of Wonders. Admirandorum quadruplex spectaculum

About this Item

Title

  • Quadruple Spectacle of Wonders.

Other Title

  • Admirandorum quadruplex spectaculum

Summary

  • Admirandorum Quadruplex Spectaculum (Quadruple spectacle of wonders) is a book of cityscapes and landscapes by Jan van Call (1656-1703), an engraver and draftsman from the Dutch city of Nijmegen. Produced circa 1700, the book is one of the earliest experiments involving multicolor printing. Van Call had undertaken a long journey to Rome, in the course of which he traveled up the Rhine from Amsterdam to Schaffhausen, Switzerland. He made drawings of landscapes and cityscapes, which attracted the attention of Amsterdam-based publisher and engraver Pieter Schenk (1660-1718). Schenk selected 71 of the most beautiful prints for publication. Until well into the 19th century, printing processes allowed the use of only one color (usually black) at a time. Illustrations were colored by hand upon request of the buyer. This approach was time-consuming and costly and led to extensive experimentation with new methods of multicolor printing. In 1688, Jan Teyler of Nijmegen applied for a patent for a new method for printing in several colors at once. It was called the à la poupée technique; the French word poupée being the term for the linen rollers used to apply the ink to the plates. In this method, the engraving on the copper plate was filled in with various colors according to a predefined pattern: blue for sky and water, green for trees, brown for houses, red or blue for roofs. Once the areas were colored in, the plate could be used to make a single print. This method was almost as time-consuming as hand coloring. The technique had been around for some time, but Teyler developed it more fully and promoted greater awareness of its possibilities. He also made new color prints from many older copper plates. Schenk used Teyler's method to produce the book presented here. The images clearly show an improved quality over other prints from the time; the brown buildings, red roofs, and green trees contrast beautifully with the blue of the sky and water. The book contains illustrations of scenes along the Rhine in Germany and the Netherlands, Het Loo Palace, Honselaar's Dike, The Hague, and Amsterdam. The captions are in Latin and Dutch.

Names

  • Call, Jan van, 1656-1703 Artist.
  • Schenk, Peter, 1660-1718 or 1719 Printer.

Created / Published

  • Amsterdam : Peter Schenk, 1700.

Headings

  • -  Germany
  • -  Netherlands
  • -  1700
  • -  Castles and palaces
  • -  Cities and towns
  • -  Rhine River

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 77 folios.
  • -  Original resource at: National Library of the Netherlands.
  • -  Content in Latin and Dutch.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021666952

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Call, Jan Van, Artist, and Peter Schenk. Quadruple Spectacle of Wonders. Amsterdam: Peter Schenk, 1700. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666952/.

APA citation style:

Call, J. V. & Schenk, P. (1700) Quadruple Spectacle of Wonders. Amsterdam: Peter Schenk. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666952/.

MLA citation style:

Call, Jan Van, Artist, and Peter Schenk. Quadruple Spectacle of Wonders. Amsterdam: Peter Schenk, 1700. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021666952/>.