Statenbijbel – Bybel, dat is, ... [with Baronial Provenance] - 1748

Statenbijbel – Complete Two-Volume Dutch States Bible with Baronial Provenance and Contemporary Manuscripts (1748)

Bybel, dat is de gansche Heilige Schrift
Het Nieuwe Testament

Printed by Nicolaas Goetzee, Ordinaris Stadsdrukker
Gorinchem, The Netherlands, MDCCXLVIII (1748)

Two volumes, large folio (approx. 35 × 25 cm)

Description

An authentic and complete 18th-century Dutch Statenbijbel, the officially authorized Bible of the Dutch Reformed Church, printed in 1748 by Nicolaas Goetzee in Gorinchem. This substantial folio edition was intended for ecclesiastical or prestigious household use and represents one of the most influential publications in Dutch religious and linguistic history.

The set comprises the Old Testament and the New Testament, including the Apocrypha and registers, and is preserved in its original full calf leather bindings with blind-tooled decoration and titled spines.

Provenance – Baronial Association

This edition bears a dedicatory and heraldic association with the noble Van Wassenaer family, one of the oldest and most prominent baronial houses of the Dutch Republic. The dedication names:

Frederik Hendrik, Baron van Wassenaer,
and his wife
Jacoba Josina Isabella van Wassenaer (née Van Wyhe).

The presence of heraldic engravings and dedication pages indicates production for or in honor of a noble household, consistent with the tradition of large folio Statenbibles serving as prestigious family Bibles among the Dutch elite.

Handwritten Signatures & Manuscript Pages

The Bible contains numerous original handwritten inscriptions and manuscript leaves, executed in 18th-century Dutch cursive and contemporaneous with the book. These include:
• Handwritten names and ownership inscriptions
• Theological notes and biblical commentary
• Sermon-like religious texts
• Household, financial, and accounting entries
• Notes involving historical measures, weights, and currencies

These manuscript additions demonstrate long-term, active use of the Bible within an educated household and provide valuable insight into devotional and domestic practices of the period.

Condition

Original bindings with significant age-related wear, including abrasion, cracking at the joints, and losses to the leather. Internally, the volumes show staining, foxing, edge wear, occasional paper loss, and areas of ink corrosion consistent with age and use. Despite these condition issues, the set remains textually complete and structurally intact.
Sold as found, unrestored.

Historical Importance

The Statenbijbel stands as a cornerstone of Dutch religious, cultural, and linguistic history. Complete folio examples from the mid-18th century, especially with noble association and contemporary manuscript material, are increasingly scarce.