Zanna Van Loon
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zannavanloon.bsky.social
Zanna Van Loon
@zannavanloon.bsky.social
4.9K followers 1.4K following 340 posts
Curator of rare books and manuscripts at Museum Plantin-Moretus ❦ Doctor in early modern history ❦ Book historian and bibliographer ❦ Research on the materiality of early modern books
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Monsters depicted in woodcut illustrations colored in by hand. On top a two-faced man and below a man with a beak and long neck Monsters depicted in woodcut illustrations colored in by hand. On top man with horse legs and below a man with a long red beard Monsters depicted in woodcut illustrations colored in by hand. On top a man with six arms and below a woman with a hedgehog body A woodcut illustration of a monk reading in a book colored in by hand
January 29, 2026 at 4:05 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
*depict
January 26, 2026 at 3:59 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
Interesting! We have another book with Mary’s provenance!
January 21, 2026 at 4:11 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
Venice: Aldus Manutius, 1498! anet.be/record/opacm...
January 21, 2026 at 4:10 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
Bonus: the Greek book was owned by Mary Clement, daughter of John Clement, the former tutor of Thomas More's children.
The upper leather cover of the binding with decorated with blind tooling Title page of the Greek edition on paper, with a handwritten note on top that reads "Sum Mariae Cleme[n]tis.
January 21, 2026 at 1:27 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
The apparition was on the 15th of November.
January 18, 2026 at 6:05 AM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
A later owner added a small print of Nicholas Pieck, one of the Martyrs of Gorcum. A slip of paper also reveals that the book was still in use by Petrus Franciscus van Hilleghem in 1793. /3
Pasted-in print in a cut-out oval shape with the image of Nicholas Pieck in sepia colors in a medaillon surrounded by text. Image of the binding of the book showing its interior structure due to damage. Detail of the spine of the book showing its interior (and some binder's waste) due to damage Slip of paper with the text "Ad usum P[e]tris Francisci Van Hilleghem of 9 8bris 1793
January 16, 2026 at 12:38 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
Inside, the pages are full of rubrication and notes: clear traces of readers actively working with the text. /2
Page within the book with printed text in roman type and a larger woodcut initial. The text is rubricated and surrounded by handwritten annotations. Open book: two facing pages with printed text in roman type and a larger woodcut initial. The text is rubricated and surrounded by handwritten annotations.
January 16, 2026 at 12:38 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
Ah how lovely to hear!
January 10, 2026 at 5:57 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
anet.be/record/opacm...
January 10, 2026 at 5:56 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
In a French-Dutch dialogue book for teaching French printed by Christophe Plantin in 1567 the words ‘galere’ in French and ‘galeye’ in Dutch are used to describe to process of typesetting and printing! #bookhistory
Early modern book opened on two pages with on the left a French text with a fictional dialogue in cursive and on the facing page the Dutch translation in roman.
January 10, 2026 at 2:28 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
Tagging @letter-kunde.bsky.social here!
January 10, 2026 at 6:35 AM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
Enkel in Nederlands 😭
January 8, 2026 at 5:34 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
Note that the censor Walter vander Steeghen only allowed the printing and sale of the work as a warning, and not as a prophecy: “Dese beschrijvinghe vander comete mach gedruct ende vercocht worden, als een waerschouwinghe, niet als een zeker prophetie.” /2
Detail of the broadsheet focusing on the censor’s statement.
December 30, 2025 at 12:26 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
It’s a Gregorian calendar in 128 format. Its actual physical size if cut up into pages would be 2 or 3 centimeters!
December 27, 2025 at 7:09 PM