Dutch Luther Bible with fine hand-coloured and highlighted in gold illustrations

[BIBLE – LUTHER – DUTCH]. VISSCHER, Adolf (translator). Biblia, dat is, de gantsche H. Schrifture vervattende alle de boecken des Ouden ende Nieuwen Testaments. Nu van nieuws uijt D.M. Luthers Hoogh-Duijtsche Bibel in onse Neder-landsche tale getrouwelijck over-geset, tot dienst van de Christelijcke gemeijnten, d’onveranderde Augs-burgsche confessie toegedaan in dese Nederlanden.
Printed on the presses of Lodewijk III Elsevier in Amsterdam.
Icluding:
(2) De Propheten.
Amsterdam, Rieuwert Dircksz. van Baardt, 1648.
(3) De Apocryphe boecken: dat zijn boecken die der heylige schrifture niet en worden gelijck gehouden ende nochtans nut ende goet zijn om te lezen.
Amsterdam, Rieuwert Dircksz. van Baardt, 1648.

4 parts in 1 volume. Folio. With a full-page portrait of Martin Luther engraved by C. J. Visscher after François Steurhelt as a frontispiece, an engraved general title-page by Frans Brun (or Fransz Brunen) after Crispijn de Passe, a full-page portrait of Adolf Visscher engraved by Zacharias Webber after I. Suijderhoef, 6 folding double-page engraved maps, 6 double-page engraved plates showing a total of 96 biblical scenes (16 scenes per plate) printed by Frederick de Witt and engraved by Cornelis Danckerts after Mattheüs Merian, and an elaborate engraved tail-piece by Crispijn de Passe, dated 1648, on G2v (of the preliminaries). With three divisional typographical title-pages for the prophets, Biblical apocrypha and the New Testament, including Van Baardt’s detailed woodcut vignette, decorated woodcut initials (at least 3 series) and ornamental woodcut tail-pieces. Contemporary richly blind-tooled calf over wooden boards, sewn on 7 supports with corresponding raised bands on the spine, with large brass clasps, catch plates and corner-pieces on both boards, red edges. Both boards show a large ornamental lozenge centrepiece within a multiple fillet frame (both thin and thick lines) with four small triple-acorn corner-pieces in the innermost frame. The edges on the inside of the boards are bevelled.

First edition of this beautifully illustrated Dutch translation of the influential Luther Bible, with the engraved title-page, all plates and a large tailpiece expertly contemporary hand-coloured and strikingly highlighted in gold. This edition, published by (the widow of) Van Baardt, is also known as the “Visscher bible”, after its translator. It is certain that Visscher based his translation on Luther’s original bible and the two known Dutch translations: the “Lotter bible” by Bugenhagen (1554) and the “Biestkens bible” (1560). Apparently, Visscher did not use the new and by then already renowned Dutch States translation (commissioned during the Synod of Dordrecht in 1618-1619) and did not want to change Luther’s original translation, which unfortunately resulted in a difficult to read work. Nevertheless, this became the standard Bible of the Dutch Lutherans. (Darlow & Moule).

The present work was printed by Rieuwert Dircksz van Baardt (1599-1648) – according to I.H. van Eeghen – at the presses of Lodewijk III Elsevier (1604-1670). The work was published after Van Baardt’s death by his widow and was illustrated with engraved maps by Nicolaes Visscher (1618-1679) after his father Claes Jansz. Visscher (1587-1652) and a complete series of Mattheüs Merian the Elder’s (1593-1650) reduced scenes engraved by Cornelis Danckerts (1603-1656) and printed by Frederik de Wit (1630-1706) in Amsterdam. These two sets of engraved plates were published separately for the purpose of being added to Bibles such as the present one, or the Dutch States Bible for example. The illustrations are expertly hand-coloured and all highlighted in gold.

With the small bookplate of Jan Willem Six de Vromade (1872-1936): “Ex bibliotheca J.W. Six” on the front paste-down. The binding shows very slight signs of wear, mainly around the spine, minor foxing and spotting throughout, mainly to the outer margins, with a ca. 4 cm tear in the foot margin of leaves a5 and a6 in the New Testament, without loss but slightly affecting the text, the last ca. 10% of the leaves show a very small (to max. ca. 1 cm in the last few leaves) wormhole in the gutter margin, barely affecting the commentary but not the main text.
Otherwise in very good condition.

[18], 278; 112; 70; 132 ll.
LITERATURE: Darlow & Moule 3311; Poortman Bijbel en Prent I, pp. 137-139; STCN 089354303 (18 copies); WorldCat 68853298 & 67063785 (16 copies, including 8 also in STCN); cf. for the maps: Poortman & Augusteijn pp. 179-185 (maps 1,3 and 5 in their very first early state by N. Visscher, the others in the first state); for the small engraved scenes: Poortman, Bijbel en Prent I pp. 172-173 & II p. 66; for the portrait of Visscher: Muller Portretten 5690a; for the printing history: I.H. van Eeghen, ‘La Bible luthérienne de 1648. Une édition Elevérienne inconnue’, in : Studia bibliographica in honorem Herman de la Fontaine Verwey, Amsterdam 1966, 119-128.