Van Heussen - Batavia sacra - 1714

“Batavia Sacra” opens a monumental panorama of the Catholic history of the Netherlands – richly equipped with splendid copper engravings, portraits, coats of arms and church views, which strikingly depict the spiritual and political self-understanding of the old Netherlands.

First edition. Publisher: Brussels, Franciscus Foppens, 1714. Folio. 2 parts in 1 volume. 251 + 534 pages with an engraved frontispiece by F. van Bleyswijck as well as 4 engraved portraits by Theodor Matham, 29 portraits, 39 coats of arms, 7 views and a folded plan. Contemporary calf leather with rich back gold tooling, FOLIO 35 x 23 cm.
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The first edition of this significant church-historical work by the Dutch historian and clergyman Hugo Franciscus van Heussen (1654–1719) ranks among the most important Catholic source works on the history of the Netherlands and, in particular, the Archdiocese of Utrecht. In extensive biographical and historical presentations the work treats the introduction and spread of Christianity in the “Batavian” lands, the history of the bishops of Utrecht, ecclesiastical dignitaries, monasteries, collegiate bodies and notable saints of the region.

Particularly impressive is the extraordinarily rich illustration with copper engravings: beside the splendid allegorical frontispiece there are numerous finely wrought portraits of ecclesiastical dignitaries, coats of arms, views of important church and monastery complexes, as well as a folded floor plan. These high-quality illustrations lend the work not only great decorative appeal but also make it an important iconographic source for the Dutch church and regional history of the Baroque.

Printed at Franciscus Foppens in Brussels, one of the most important printers of the Southern Netherlands, the work appeared in a representative folio format for learned collectors, church institutions and libraries. The decorative contemporary binding with rich back gilding further underscores the representative character of this large-format scholarly work.
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Binding rubbed, partly browned, occasionally a bit speckled, but overall a beautiful copy with authentic age patina