Wagenaar - Vaderlandsche Historie - 1799

HOLLAND BETWEEN CIVIL MEMORY, POLITICS AND LATE EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY ICONOGRAPHY
An illustrated late eighteenth-century edition of the Verkorte Vaderlandsche Historie, a historical compendium dedicated to the United Provinces, drawn from the broader and more famous work by Jan Wagenaar. Designed for an educated but non-specialist audience, this abridged edition preserves the rigorous framework of the original, alongside a substantial iconographic apparatus that translates Dutch national history into images with strong narrative impact. The work is fully situated in the late eighteenth-century climate when historiography takes on a civic and identitarian function, and historical memory is conveyed also through figurative printing.
MARKET VALUE
The illustrated editions of the Verkorte Vaderlandsche Historie, especially those in good condition with plates complete, consistently attract interest in the market for Dutch history collectibles and eighteenth-century illustrated publishing. For an exemplar like the present, in period binding and with preserved iconographic apparatus, a realistic estimate places it roughly between 100 and 200 euros, varying according to the state of the paper, the freshness of the engravings, and the sturdiness of the binding.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Hardcover binding. Typographic title page and engraved illustrative apparatus. Presence of multiple engravings off-text plates depicting historical, civil, and naval scenes, as well as allegorical portraits and compositions of a political-social character. Leaves with some foxing and browning; some marginal tears, frontispiece restored. In old books with a centuries-long history, minor imperfections or defects may be present and are not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); 2nn; 664; (2).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Verkorte Vaderlandsche Historie.
Amsterdam, bij Johannes Allart, 1799.
Jan Wagenaar.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Jan Wagenaar was one of the central figures of Dutch historiography in the eighteenth century. His Vaderlandsche Historie represents one of the most ambitious attempts to narrate, in a systematic way, the history of the United Provinces, with particular attention to institutions, political events, and the role of the people. This abridged version responds to the Enlightenment-era need to disseminate historical knowledge in an accessible form, while strengthening the sense of national identity during a period of profound political and social transformations.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Jan Wagenaar was born in 1709 and died in 1773. Historian and prolific author, he is regarded as one of the fathers of modern historiography in the Netherlands. His major work, the Vaderlandsche Historie, exerted a lasting influence on the perception of Dutch national history, notable for its documentary rigor and clarity of exposition.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The 1799 edition, printed in Amsterdam by Johannes Allart, testifies to the long publishing fortune of Wagenaar’s work even after his death. These illustrated compendia circulated widely among the educated bourgeoisie, schools, and private libraries, contributing to the historical formation of multiple generations.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU / OPAC SBN, Dutch editions of the Verkorte Vaderlandsche Historie
WorldCat, records for Jan Wagenaar, Verkorte Vaderlandsche Historie
Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek, entry Wagenaar
BnF, Bibliothèque nationale de France, eighteenth-century collections of Dutch history