Andries Voorstad auctioned the books and instruments of a "Liefhebber"
A few days before the microscope auction on May 27, a book auction was held in Delft, also in the St Lucas Guild Room, this time by the bookseller Andries Voorstad. This seems to be the only book auction in Delft since 1744. No catalogue has been preserved, but the advertisement mentions that the former owner was "a distinguished lover of learning" (een voornaam Liefhebber).
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Op Dingsdag den 23 Mey 1747, en volgende dagen, zal te Delft door Andries Voorstad, op St. Lucas Gildekamer, verkogt worden een uitmunde fraaye Verzameling extra wel geconditioneerde Boeken, waar in onder zeer veele andere capitale Werken uitmunten het Groot Placaatboek van Cauw met het Register in 6 Fransse Banden, den Atlas van Blaeu, zeer fraay afgezet, in 9 Atlas Banden, leggende in een Nooteboom Kabinet, de Stedeboeken der Nederlanden, van Italien, Piemont en Savoyen enz.; als mede een fraaye party Musicq, Prenten, Mathematische Intsrumenten en Rariteiten: nagelaaten door een voornaam Liefhebber. |
On Tuesday, May 23, 1747, and the following days, will an outstanding and fine Collection of extra well conditioned Books be sold in Delft by Andries Voorstad, at the St. Lucas Gildekamer. Standing out, among very many other capital works, are the Groot Placaatboek of Cauw with the Index in 6 French Bindings, the Atlas of Blaeu, very finely trimmed, in 9 atlas bindings, lying in a nutmeg wood cabinet, the Stedeboeken of the Netherlands, of Italy, Piemont and Savoyen, etc.; plus a lot of music, prints, mathematical instruments and curiosities. |
The presence of prints, mathematical instruments and curiosities would support the idea that this was Leeuwenhoek's library. However, nothing else in the inventory of Maria's estate seems to concern music.
In 1833, a catalog was published in Amsterdam, offering a collection of auction catalogs that had been assembled by Jacobus Koning, a well known antiquarian. On page 55 of this catalogue is number 386. "Catal. libr. A. van Leeuwenhoek, 1747." A catalogue of the LIBRARY of Leeuwenhoek from the same year as Voorstad's auction. It was also the same year as the microscope auction. But "Catal. libr." suggests books more than little metal instruments.
This Andries Voorstad, labeled II in STCN and Bibliopolis, does not seem to be any relation to the printer of the same name who printed Leeuwenhoek's Tweede Vervolg der Brieven in 1689. The record for that Andries Voorstad, labeled I in STCN and Bibliopolis, says that he was active in Delft from 1680 to 1722. He and his wife Neeltje van Oosten had 11 children, but none named after himself.
This Andreis Voorstad, a much younger man, is named in the register of Delft civil servants, Kleine Ambten. When he joined the Reformed Church in September 1747, the same month that he married, he was living on the Markt. He and Beatrix van Dorp registered their marriage on September 16 and were married on October 1, 1747. They baptized sons Adriaan and Andries in 1749 and 1750.
The STCN says that he was a printer and bookseller in Deflt from 1748 to 1757. Bibliopolis.nl lists add that he was then active in Schiedam from 1758 to 1760.
Leidse Courant 1747, 52; 54 (5 mei 1747); 56; 59; 61; Amsterdamse Courant 1747, 11 en 16 mei
HGD inv. 469 fol. 298
DTB inv. 61 fol. 66, 78v
