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Book/Printed Material The Album Amicorum of Jacob Heyblocq. Album Amicorum

About this Item

Title

  • The Album Amicorum of Jacob Heyblocq.

Other Title

  • Album Amicorum

Summary

  • In the days of Jacob Heyblocq (1623-90), friendship books (referred to by their Latin name, alba amicorum) were popular among students who traveled from university to university. Traveling scholars took the books with them on their university tours. When they met notable figures they wanted to remember, they asked these people to write a brief inscription in their book. The inscriptions usually consisted of short quotations and expressions of friendship, along with the date and a signature. Sometimes students had their portraits or their family coat of arms drawn in the book. The album amicorum accompanied the student throughout his academic career and generally disappeared into a drawer once the studies were completed. Jacob Heyblocq took a different approach. He was studying theology in Leiden when he started his book in 1645, and his statement on the first page makes it clear from the outset that he wanted it to be much more than a casual friendship book. Writing in Latin, Heyblocq addressed "the greatest, most learned and noble" people of his time and stated that his single greatest pleasure in life, aside from meeting all his obligations, was reading contributions in albums. He asked "the greatest thinkers of this century and high-ranking royalty" to write their "brilliant contributions" in this "bold book." He promised that the words inscribed would live on after their authors were dead and gone. Heyblocq pursued his ambitions wholeheartedly. After completing his studies, he went on to teach at the Latin school on the Nieuwezijds (New Side) canal in Amsterdam. The 17th century was a golden age for Amsterdam, an era in which this world-class city saw the flourishing of science, culture, and the arts. Around 1660, Hecblocq became the headmaster of his Latin school, a position that brought him into contact with the cultural elite of Amsterdam, including poets, professors, artists, and painters. He asked all of them to contribute to his album amicorum. The index reflects the names of all those who acceded to his request. Most of the contributions are far more extensive than the customary outpourings of amity. Many poems were composed on the spot, especially for the album, generally in Dutch or in Latin. Aphorisms and Bible verses, in Latin, Greek, and in Hebrew, are also represented. These illustrious contributions make the volume the richest and most beautifully illustrated example of the album amicorum in Dutch history.

Names

  • Heyblocq, Jacob (Jacobus), 1623-1690 Associated Name.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], [1645 to 1678]

Headings

  • -  Netherlands
  • -  Netherlands--Noord-Holland--Amsterdam
  • -  1645 to 1678
  • -  Art, Dutch
  • -  Autograph albums
  • -  Autographs
  • -  Bible
  • -  Calligraphy
  • -  Friendship
  • -  Friendship--Quotations, maxims, etc
  • -  Paper work
  • -  Poetry
  • -  Poets

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 310 pages : paper ; 92 x 153 millimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: National Library of the Netherlands.
  • -  Content in Arabic and Modern Greek (1453-) and Hebrew and 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

  • 2021668060

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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

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Cite This Item

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

Chicago citation style:

Heyblocq, Jacob , Associated Name. The Album Amicorum of Jacob Heyblocq. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1678, 1645] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668060/.

APA citation style:

Heyblocq, J. (1645) The Album Amicorum of Jacob Heyblocq. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1678] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668060/.

MLA citation style:

Heyblocq, Jacob , Associated Name. The Album Amicorum of Jacob Heyblocq. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1678, 1645] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021668060/>.