1661 Broadsheet, Ode to the City Library, Zurich, Switzerland, bibliothecography

Broadsheet, Ode to the City Library in the Wasserkirche in Zurich

Venator, Balthasar [1594-1664]; Simler, Johann Wilhelm [1605-1672];

H. Balthasar Venator's verteutschtes Ehren-und Lobgeticht für die im 1629 jahr neuaufgerichte Burgerbücherey zu Zürich

Ode in German in an ornamental frame incorporating a copper engraved view of the Wasserkirche in Zurich. On either side of the print a quotation from Ptolemy Philadelphus in German (right) and Latin and Greek (left).

Zürich : ab der Burgerbücherey, 1661.

Height 376 mm x width 294 mm. Neatly mounted on paper at the time.

References: Martina Sulmoni: "Einer Kunst- und Tugendliebenden Jugend verehrt": die Bild-Text-Kombinationen in den Neujahrsblättern der Burgerbibliothek Zürich von 1645 bis 1672, Bern 2007, S. 89, Abb. 1 ; Zürcher Neujahrsblätter, Zürich 1971, S. 3.

Balthasar Venator (1594-1664) was a German late humanist, neo-Latin poet and satirist. Along with other poets such as Martin Opitz, who died early, he belongs to the circle of poets in Heidelberg and is considered one of the pioneers of the German language in poetry. His poem Donarium in nova Tigurinorum bibliotheca suspendendum was written in June 1643 after a visit to Zurich. In 33 distichs he praises the Zurich Citizens' Library (precursor to the Zurich City Library), founded in 1629.

A fascinating and rare early example of bibliothecography.

Minor age toning but overall very clean and unusually unfolded.