Spiegel vanden Ouden ende Nieuwen Tiijdt.Dordrecht, Hendrick van Esch, 1633

Full-page allegorical engraving on title verso, woodcut device, and 77 emblems after Adriaen van de Venne.

Sm 8vo (162 x 105mm). [19]ff. 416pp. Late 19th century brown morocco, gilt ornament at each corner of covers, repeated in spine compartments, spine lettered in gilt, g.e. (spine a little faded).

Jacob Cats' famous emblem book, Mirror of Old and New Times was first published in quarto at The Hague in 1632, this one of two Dordrecht editions of 1633, the first to be printed in 8vo, with the engravings copied and reduced. Here Cats uses popular rather than classical Dutch, which broadened its appeal and it soon became the source of many household sayings.

Provenance: signed at head of title-page by 'Joseph Hearne'.

Tear to p. 181/2 with no loss of text.

Praz p. 301. Landwehr Low Countries 152. 

Stock Code: 250142