Zanna Van Loon
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zannavanloon.bsky.social
Zanna Van Loon
@zannavanloon.bsky.social
4.7K followers 1.4K following 320 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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Reposted by Zanna Van Loon
leocadogan.com
Voluminous or velluminous?
Five vellum-bound spines of old books, three with ms lettering which identifies them as Spanish.
December 21, 2025 at 5:46 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
The Plantin archives: the gift that keeps on giving.

An #earlymodern ledger for expenses on ‘white paper’ for the printing office with printed binder’s waste on its spine & a #medieval Vulgate Bible fragment as its cover. 😍

Happy holidays everybody!

#rarebooks #bookhistory 💙📚📜
Open spine of an archival ledger showing its ribs and fragments of printed binder’s waste Upper cover of the ledger with a medieval manuscript in a gothic hand together with a decorated initial letter D Lower cover of the ledger with a medieval manuscript in a gothic hand together with a decorated initial letter Q and a large ink stain
December 19, 2025 at 4:13 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
Not all #earlymodern prints are publications.

These are unused key labels intended for 1 of the 11 locks guarding Antwerp’s 14th-century privilege chest preserving charters for centuries. The Officina Plantiniana probably had to produce these ephemeral prints as the city’s official printer.
Three small leaves of paper containing a printed key label for the chest reading ‘den sesten slevtel vanden grooten poort-slote aende priuilegie-com hangende’ The original keys together with a wooden tack on which is spaced it the printed key label that is very worn. The objects are lying onto a white surface. Two of the original locks in a base color, they are lying onto a white surface Large wooden chest in a beige color, with several locks safeguarding the chest.
December 16, 2025 at 1:08 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
I’ll never get tired of the effect that the early morning light has on the museum. 💛

#bookhistory #rarebooks 💙📚📜
Historic brick buildings with a small garden in front. The lights are on in the patio and upstairs. In the backdrop blue skies of an early morning.
December 4, 2025 at 7:34 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
One of our newest treasures: an #earlymodern Catechismus Romanus bound with a 1613 #manuscript student notebook of Jesuit Cornelius a Lapide’s lectures at Leuven. A wonderfully personalized & used book with a doodle of a long-nosed (😉) figure by its unknown owner.

#bookhistory #rarebooks 💙📚📜
Detail of a doodle of a long-nosed little man in the margins of a manuscript in 17th-century handwriting Title page of the book with the title 'Catechismus Romanus ex decreto Concilii Tridentini & P II V. Pontificis Maximi jussu primum editus', the imprint reads that the book is printed in Antwerp in 1611 by Martina Plantin at the Officina Plantiniana First page of the manuscript on the Catholic doctrine with on top the title added in a different hand 'Cathecismus dictatus Lovanij á R. et doctissimo patro Cornelio a Lapide s...' Some pen trials at the end of the book including the phrase 'Jesus Maria Josef'
November 24, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Reposted by Zanna Van Loon
leocadogan.com
Some typographical decoration to bring an end to the page - and the week.
Typographical decoration: apple-like devices facing each other with set of brackets in middle. A triangle decreasing to a point made of typographical decoration.
November 21, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Reposted by Zanna Van Loon
bramderidder.bsky.social
Eindelijk tijd om eraan te beginnen, maar al heel de ochtend zeer benieuwd naar de aflevering van Voorproevers in het Plantin-Moretus met @zannavanloon.bsky.social en @chanelled.bsky.social!

Vrouwenzaken Zakenvrouwen in Museum Plantin Moretus - Voorproevers | VRT MAX share.google/QUubCMdcy0Wg...
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November 9, 2025 at 9:56 AM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
What a day! Had a great time hearing all these specialists talk about the self-evident involvement of women in the book production. Now time for dinner at the most beautiful location at the Samenloop restaurant housed in the former Maiden’s House of Antwerp!
Courtyard of an early modern house, the Maiden’s house with brick walls and cheerful lights hanging up
November 6, 2025 at 8:00 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
‘Women’s traces of involvement in the #earlymodern book trade are there in the archives, just sitting there waiting to be reconnected with research.’

- Opening keynote lecture of Susan Broomhall perfectly capturing the essence of our conference Women & The Household in the Early Modern Book Trade!
November 5, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Reposted by Zanna Van Loon
drkarrschmidt.bsky.social
Pink Panther Returns?!

#Caturday
#NewberryLibrary (Inc. 5656)
Detail of 15th c. book with cat (?) paw prints! Open book with several paw prints.
October 25, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Reposted by Zanna Van Loon
ninalamal.bsky.social
For those visiting Antwerp (esp. those of you attending for the Women&Household in Book Trade conference next week) do not forget to go and visit this library gem as well! #bookhistory
October 28, 2025 at 8:10 AM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
Spilled my coffee travel mug in my backpack this morning - can you imagine the horror - so let’s just say some time with these wonderful #earlymodern miniature books was very much needed!

1) Gregorian Calendar (1585)

#rarebooks #bookhistory 💙📚📜

/1
Close up of a very small book bound in a fragment of a medieval liturgical manuscript on parchment Yellow-black pencil for scale next to the miniature book which is with a parchment cover of medieval manuscript fragments Close-up of the title page of the book: a Gregorian calendar printed in red and black.
October 31, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Reposted by Zanna Van Loon
svanimpe.bsky.social
This #FragmentFriday is found in De Thiende (1585), a groundbreaking #mathematical book by Simon Stevin, introducing the decimal separator (now , or . ) for fractions. It has a 19th century library binding, but retains the medieval parchment wrappers it was originally bound in.
📚💙
📜
October 24, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Reposted by Zanna Van Loon
dbellingradt.bsky.social
Just a 1399 unicorn watermark from a paper manufacturer from Valencia to make your day. Friends of #paperhistory know that these paper sheets of around 1400 are among the first sheets of European paper to appear on the market. European #bookhistory was a different game afterwards. #skystorians
A unicorn watermark in one of the oldest European paper sheets. Source: https://memoryofpaper.eu/apccv/apccv.php?Signatura=1475.1
October 25, 2025 at 6:40 AM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
This parchment is FUR REAL!

Remnants of animal hair on a parchment leaf originally intended as the exterior of the earlier binding for a 13th-century manuscript with English origin containing theological texts of Guillaume Peyraud, William of Tournai, Hugh of St Victor, and Richard of St Victor.
Detail of the parchment leaf wit remnants of brown animal hair, still in a very good condition Detail of the parchment leaf with remnants of brown animal hair, still in a very good condition View on the entire leaf with the remnants of brown animal hair First folio of the manuscript written in the Gothic script in two colums starting with 'Incipit t[ra]ctat[us moralis de vii vitiis capitalibus...
October 23, 2025 at 12:49 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
A bundle of miscellaneous papers once belonging to Abraham Ortelius with letters & working notes, and a rudimentary sketch of the Strait of Gibraltar, demonstrating how he envisioned depicting the meeting point of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean for his world atlas.

#bookhistory #rarebooks 💙📚📜
Sketch of the Strait of Gibraltar on early modern paper with iron gallon ink with some cities named, such as Tanger. The map is positioned with the north at the bottom. Detail of a printed and hand coloured map of Span displaying the Strait of Gibraltar. It is an engraving. Very rudimentary sketch of the world in the medieval worldview and a legenda View of the miscellaneous notes inside the bundle containing inscriptions in Latin and drawings
October 21, 2025 at 3:31 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
Typographic apparitions 👻

Spotted in a 1498 Cologne missal: a case of off-set printing, where ink from the forme (or from another printed page?) accidentally transferred onto these printed page.

#bookhistory #rarebooks 💙📚📜
Detail of a page with musical staf printed, added music by hand, and off-set printing of other type in the margins Detail of a page with liturgical text printed, and off-set printing of other type in the margins Detail of a page with liturgical text printed, and off-set printing of other type in the margins
October 8, 2025 at 3:09 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
Making a case for every museum to have a resident museum cat. Meet Nuno, who literally owns the ruins of the Carmo Convent in Lisbon!

The convent was destroyed in a fire after the great earthquake in 1755.

#earlymodern
Black and white cat sitting on an early modern fragment of sculpture. In the background the ruins of the church belonging to the monastery with a clear blue sky. Close up of a black and white cat resting on an early modern fragment of sculpture. In the background the ruins of the church belonging to the monastery with a clear blue sky. Close up of a black and white cat resting on an early modern fragment of sculpture. In the background the ruins of the church belonging to the monastery with a clear blue sky.
October 3, 2025 at 10:54 AM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
☞☞ Hands-on reading ☜☜

The manicules in #rarebooks are fantastically diverse. Some are tiny & discreet, others take up half the margin; some have flowing sleeves, or even little faces.

They’re glimpses into the personality of readers/scribes highlighting passages worth reading.
#bookhistory 💙📚📜
Detail of a manicure and a little face gesturing towards the handwritten text of a manuscript in gothic script written on parchment. The man depicted seems angry. The manicure has a sleeve A manicule with a stretched sleeve drawn in red in the margins pointing towards a text in Gothic script written on parchment A manicule used to highlight a rubricated section title in a medieval manuscript written in gothic script on parchment A very large vaguely drawn manicule pointing towards text in gothic script written on parchment
September 30, 2025 at 3:31 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
Dear #earlymodern, #bookhistory, #rarebooks, and #skystorians people: I’m travelling to Lisbon in a few days!

What do you recommend? Libraries, historic spots, bookshops, exhibitions? 📜
September 29, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Reposted by Zanna Van Loon
svanimpe.bsky.social
A remarkable #bookhistory experiment: a title page printed in *blue* and red ink. Ambrogio Leone, Novum opus quaestionum. Venice : Bernardino & Matteo Vitali, 1523. EHC D 2181:3. Online: books.google.be/books?vid=EH...
Title page of the book, showing a woodcut border in dark blue and a typographical title in red.
September 25, 2025 at 9:18 AM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
FINAL CALL! ⏰

One week left to apply for our Nottebohm Fellowship!

☟ ☟ ☟
September 24, 2025 at 5:57 AM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
A 17th-century bookbinding in full bloom!

While screening the collections for books to show during a hands-on workshop on historical bookbindings, we stumbled upon this devotional book bound in a beautiful embroidered binding featuring flowers, usually associated with female makers and/or owners.
Front cover of the book with a brownish cloth binding decorated with flowers by means of needle work in different colours. It contains the library shelf mark on the top left corner Spine of the book with several flowers sewn on a cloth cover in different colours. Back cover of the book with a brownish cloth binding decorated with flowers by means of needle work in different colours. You see a fragment of a silk thread in the middle.
September 23, 2025 at 2:47 PM
zannavanloon.bsky.social
This manuscript by Anselmus Faust, dated 1612, is the oldest surviving European manual on bookbinding. Written in Latin & Dutch, it was created for the St Bernard's Abbey near Antwerp.

What makes it especially unique is its rare dos à dos binding: 2 books bound back-to-back, sharing a single spine.
Title page of the manuscript which reads 'Beschrijvinghe ende onderwijsinghe ter discreter ende vermaerder consten des boeckbinders handwerck, hier inne te sien ende te lesen hoemen de boecken op alderhande manieren binden ende maecken sal.' Dutch cover of the book in parchment painted in red and part of it in white sheep leather that has been blind tooled. Detail of the edges of the manuscript painted in red and green respectively. French cover of the book in parchment painted in green and part of it in white sheep leather that has been blind tooled.
September 18, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Reposted by Zanna Van Loon
paularblaster.bsky.social
Op koppen lopen!
September 13, 2025 at 9:35 AM