F.G.V. - Antwerpsch chronykje - 1743

Antwerp Chronicle, in which many and elsewhere futilely told histories are described, since the year 1500. Up to the year 1574. Thus in that renowned trading city as well as in the other cities of the Netherlands... by F.G.V - Leiden, Pieter van Eyk, 1743 - (12) 260 pp - blind-stamped parchment binding

Good. Some loss of parchment at the lower edge of the front cover and along the front cover’s side edge (1 cm). Plates somewhat warped. Interior browned, here and there foxing on the title and fly leaves heavily as well as on 6 leaves spread through the book. Only a small dog-ear.

A detailed historical chronicle that describes the turbulent events in the Low Countries — with emphasis on the metropolis Antwerp — between 1500 and 1574. The work offers a unique eyewitness account of the rise of the Reformation, the escalating religious tensions, and the turbulent early years of the Eighty Years’ War, including the Iconoclastic Fury (Beeldenstorm) and the repression under the Duke of Alva. Because the book was printed in the 18th century based on a rediscovered anonymous 16th-century manuscript (under the initials F.G.V.), today it is regarded as a crucial but also enigmatic primary source for historians studying the political and religious transformation of the Netherlands.

The title page identifies the original author with the initials F.G.V. To this day there is debate among historians about who lies behind this work:
It is often cataloged in libraries under the name of the well-known historian and mint-master Gerard van Loon (1683–1758) or the historian/artist Frans van Mieris the Younger (1689–1763). However, they were more involved as editors (caregivers) who found the ancient manuscript and prepared it for the press.
As possible original 16th-century authors (the true 'F.G.V.') figures such as F.G. Ullens or F.G. Verhoeven are mentioned.

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