2469 - 2553 MANUSCRIPTS, AUTOGRAPHS, DOCUMENTS
75 2509 House of Orange Willem V 1748 1806 
75 2509 House of Orange Willem V 1748 1806 = On the commissioning of "George Reen" as ensign in the "Compagnie van den Capitein A.I. de Jacobij de Cadier onder hetzelfde bataillon [i.e. the battalion of "Lieutenant Generael de Villegas"]".
ADDED: a manuscript letter by an unidentified author (German, dated 1838).
= Provenance: Collectie Dr. J.G. de Lint.
75 2511 House of Orange William of Orange Nassau 1533 1584 and August elector of Saxony 1526 1586 
75 2511 House of Orange William of Orange Nassau 1533 1584 and August elector of Saxony 1526 1586 
75 2511 House of Orange William of Orange Nassau 1533 1584 and August elector of Saxony 1526 1586 
= A request to Holy Roman emperor Ferdinand I to set free the minor nobleman and patrician Lorentz von Kühedorff. The request was made after a plea by the brother of Lorentz, "Hannsen von Kuhdorff" when William of Orange was in Leipsic after his wedding to Anna of Saxony. Von Kühedorff was a young robberbaron who especially plagued the Nürnberg merchants. He was arrested and held prisoner by "Graff Hansenn vonn Nassau" (prob. count Johann IV of Nassau-Saarbrücken) and banned to Hungary. "Wir seindt von (...) Hansenn vonn Kuhdorff itzo alhier underthenig (...) ersucht (...) wordenn, bei Euer Key. Mayt. underthenigste vorbitt zuthun, das die Rechtferttigung so die von Nurnberg wider seinen Bruderen Lorentzen vonn Kuhdorff welcher unter Graff Hanssen von Nassau gefangenn ligt möchtte abgeschafft unnd er Inn betrachtung seiner Jugent undd das sich diese Hendel Inn vehdes zeittenn zugetragenn Er auch zum theil vonn denen von Nurnbergh dartzu vorursacht sein soll, auss gnaden erledigt werden möchtte (...)". Von Kühedorff was eventually forgiven and made a cavalry captain in Augsburg. He died as the last of his house, childless and with large debts. SEE ILLUSTRATION PLATE CX.
75 2512 Judaica and hebraica Esther scroll 
- Occas. sm. dam. spots; some loss of ink; outer roll severly darkened.
75/2513 Kessel Manuscript deed of debt 
75/2513 Kessel Manuscript deed of debt 
75/2513 Kessel Manuscript deed of debt 
75/2513 Kessel Manuscript deed of debt 
= Declaration by "Frederick Wilhelm bij der Gratie Godts Koninck te Pruijsen" stating the financial responsibilty of Johan Wilhelm de Bos Scholtus tot Kessel regarding the heritage of the 'Hoff te Holte' received by the underaged Caspar Joseph van Kessel.
AND 6 similar manuscript deeds from various regions, i.a. MANUSCRIPT PATENT LETTER of "Carel bij der Gratie Godts van Coninck van Castilien", pen and ink on vellum, n.d. (±1700), recto only (lacks wax seal).
75/2514 Limburg Registrum Pauperum Communitatis De Horn Renovatum Anno 1753 
75/2514 Limburg Registrum Pauperum Communitatis De Horn Renovatum Anno 1753 
= Administration of the "armenregister" of Horn in Limburg, led by priest Mathias Smolders. Names mentioned are i.a. Hermen Wevers, Willem Clerx, Lambert Baetsen, Jacob Linssen, Peter Clompen and Jacobus Jacobs.
"Rekeningh van (...)". Manuscript, pen and ink on paper, dated 1752-1792, (18) lvs.
= Bills of different "Arme Meester" of the "armenregister" of Horn. Names mentioned are i.a. Jan Truijen, Jan Bulders, Lenaert Peters, Christoffel Pollaert, Mathias van Dael and Peter Hever.
WITH 5 other (sm.) archival documents of the region, 2x in French, 1x in Latin, 2x in Dutch.
75 2515 Literature Celan P 1920 1970 
1. "Todesfuge". TYPESCRIPT POEM w. autograph heading "Paul Celan:", 2 lvs., recto only
2. Undated letter (beginning of August 1949) to "Liebe Diet", signed "Car j'ai vécu par vous attendre/ Et mon coeur n'est rien que ton pas./ Paul ([crossed-out:] Valéry)" (referring to the quotation by Valéry), undated (beginning of August 1949), 1 leaf, recto only (verso w. addressee "Mlle Diet Kloos-Barendregt").
3. "Chanson einer Dame im Schatte". AUTOGRAPH POEM SIGNED "Paul Celan", 1 leaf, recto and verso [addendum to the letter above].
4. "Chanson einer Dame im Schatte". TYPESCRIPT POEM w. autograph heading "Paul Celan:", 2 lvs., recto only [addendum to the letter above].
5. Letter to "Meine liebe Diet", signed "Paul", dated "31, Rue des Ecoles/ Paris, den 23. August 1949", 2 lvs., recto and verso.
6. Letter to "Diet, liebe Diet", signed "Ich umarme Dich/ Paul", dated "Paris, den 6. September 49", 1 leaf, recto only.
7. Letter to "Meine liebe Diet", signed "Ich umarme Dich/ Paul", dated "21.IX.49", 1 fold. leaf, recto and verso (4p.).
8. Letter to "Liebe Diet", signed "Viele Apostelgrüße/ Paul", dated "Paris, den 7. Oktober 1949.", 1 leaf, recto and verso.
9. "Rauchtopas". AUTOGRAPH POEM SIGNED "Paul Celan", 1 leaf, recto only [addendum to the letter above].
10. Letter to "Meine liebe Diet", signed "Ich umarme Dich/ Paul", dated "Dienstag abend" [prob. 29 November 1949], 1 fold. leaf, recto and verso (4p.).
11. Letter to "Meine liebe Diet", signed "Aus hauchdünnen Schleiern ist der Nachthimmel über Paris: er haucht Dir die Augen zu, und Sesam öffnet sich. Ali Baba", dated "Paris, den 6. Dezemnber 1949", 1 leaf, recto and verso.
12. Letter to "Meine liebe Diet", signed "Wenn Du es noch erlaubst, umarme ich Dich/ Paul", dated "Paris, den 20. April 1950", 2 lvs., recto and verso, with the orig. addressed and stamped envelope.
13. Letter to "Meine liebe Diet!", signed "Paris grüßt Dich, und ich darf es Dir sagen/ Paul", dated "Paris, den 9. Mai 1950", 1 leaf, recto only.
14. Letter to "Meine liebe Diet!", signed "Alles herzliche/ Paul", dated "Paris, den 28. Juni 1950", 1 leaf, recto only.
15. Letter to "Meine liebe Diet", signed "Paris, das Schifflein, liegt im Glas vor Anker./ Paul", dated "Paris, 11.7.1950", 1 leaf, recto and verso.
16. Letter to "Liebe Diet", signed "Gute Reise! A très bientôt!/ Paul", dated "Donnerstag" [= 20 July 1950], 1 leaf, recto only.
- All lvs. w. filing holes in blank margin.
= Diet Kloos and Paul Celan met in Paris in August 1949. Their encounter led to an intimate friendship, illustrated by the twelve letters and the poems that have been preserved and that are included in this lot.
Diet Kloos-Barendregt (1924-2015) was active in the resistance during World War II and married fellow resistance fighter Jan Kloos in November 1944. Shortly afterwards, the couple was arrested by the German Sicherheitsdienst on suspicion of espionage. Jan Kloos was tortured with his wife present and was executed on January 30, 1945. Diet Kloos was eventually released from prison and resumed her resistance activities. After the war she continued her studies at the The Hague conservatory and became a celebrated singer.
Celan and Kloos met by coincidence at a café and immediately had a connection. With Paul Celan, who as a Jew survived the labor camps and fled Romania after the war to settle in Paris, Kloos shared bitter memories of the horrors of the war. She was able to listen to Celan as well as to express her own thoughts. At their second time together, Celan took her to his rooms and read her his poem "Todesfuge". Diet Kloos, who recognized the meaning of the poem, was deeply moved by it and Celan gave her the typescript.
The letters contain important information on Celan's early years in Paris, but moreover they provide insight into the genesis of Celan's so-called "hermetic poetry". In these letters the somewhat dark and multifaceted way of speaking, which is characteristic of his poems, becomes audible as a personal voice. It is therefore not surprising that the tone of the letters and poems is strongly comparable. The presence of the early typescript of "Todesfuge", sometimes called the Guernica of literature, gives this collection its unparalleled intensity. The importance of "Todesfuge" can hardly be exaggerated: it stands as a powerful and deeply affecting evocation of the Holocaust in an extremely poignant way, and it would become one of the most famous and admired literary monuments of the Shoah, inspriring numerous authors and artists.
"Ich weiß nicht, wie spät es jetzt ist, jedenfalls ist es noch Nacht, das heißt es ist nog dunkel, wenn es auch schon Morgen ist - wieviel Uhr also? (...) die Glocken der Kirchen geben nur schlechten Bescheid, sie sind zu zahlreich (...) sie stimmen nicht überein, ihre Glockenschläge folgen rasch aufeinander, es ist, wenn Du willst, dreißig ofer zweiunddreißig Uhr, eine Stunde aus verschiedenstem Silber, ein aufmerksames, hellhöriges Ohr könnte underscheiden, helles und deutliches von dunklem, undeutlichem Silber trennen und so die Zeit erfahren, aber mein Ohr ist träge, absichtlich, damit meine Hand umso reger wird, wenn mir endlich die Zeit abhanden gekommen is. All das ist ein Glück für mich, der ich doch mit meiner Zeit nichts anzufangen weiß - was tat ich bislang, wenn ich Zeit hatte? Ich wartete auf die Zeit. (...) Alles is zu schwer, weil alles zu leicht ist." [23/08/1949]. "Was ich brauche, was ich so dringend brauche, eben deshalb, weil ich so oft von mir weg muß - und wie unbequem ist dieses Reisen: ich selber bin dabei reglos, wechsle nicht den Ort, die Welt aber saust unter meinen Füßen vorbei! - was ich also brauche, ist das Gefühl, daß es bei all diesem Hin und Her einen Ausgangspunkt gibt, der, wenn er auch nie wieder erreicht werden kann, dennoch bestehen bleibt - ein solcher Ausgangspunkt wären meine Gedichte, wenn ich sie in Sicherheit wüßte, sauber abgedruckt und gebunden." [06/09/1949]. "Ich glaube, Du hast mal die Linien meiner Hand angesehen, Diet; so wirst Du Dich vielleicht erinnern, daß meine Lebenslinie zweimal abreißt, um sich in zwei voneinander getrennten kleineren Linien fortzusetzen. Nun, mir will scheinen, daß ich gerade da stehe, wo dies zum zweitenmal geschieht, wo ich mich von mir selber abspalte, Gott weiß zu welchem Zweck. Immer weniger gleiche ich dem verspielten Knaben, der ich so gern war, und - verzeih - ich verschmerze das Unwiederbringliche schwerer als es einem erlaubt sein mag, der zu wissen glaubt, wie ein Auge im Dunkel strahlt." [21/09/1949]. "Und über allem, schwebend und dabei doch so lastend, der Alltag, die Rundfahrt durch die Welt des täglichen Brotes. Und unter allem, verborgen, kaum hörbar, aber quälend auf unterirdische Art, die Traum van der Unendlichkeit, nie verwirktlicht, kaum geahnt, unerreicht. Und dazwischen: Ich, Paul Celan, ein Mann, der vielleicht doch noch ein Baum wird, wenn der Abend es will." [29/11/1949].
See at large: P. Sars (ed.), 'Alles is te zwaar, omdat alles te licht is'. De brieven van Paul Celan aan Diet Kloos-Barendregt. Dutch transl. C.O. Jellema (Amst., 1999). SEE ILLUSTRATION PLATE CXI.
75 2516 Literature Celan P 1920 1970 
75 2516 Literature Celan P 1920 1970 
75 2516 Literature Celan P 1920 1970 
- All lvs. w. filing holes in left blank margin.
= At the beginning of 1957, the Dutch composer Jaap Geraedts (1924-2003) was diligently looking for a Jewish lyricist who would like to write a full-length oratorio with him in which the suffering of the Jews during the Nazi dictatorship is expressed. He wanted the polyphonic choral work to be 'a contemporary psalm', with features of a fugue, a tense musical work that culminates in a conclusion in which Jewish suffering is transformed, incorporated into a larger whole of world history. Jaap Geraedts turns to Jacques Presser, who draws his attention to Maurits Mok and Abel Herzberg. But when Geraedts reads Paul Celan's poem 'Todesfuge' ('Fugue of Death') in February 1957, he addresses the Jewish German-speaking poet in Paris and sends him a five-page draft in which the global three-way division ('the birth of madness', 'the catastrophe' and the 'renewal; reconciliation and song of praise') has already been outlined. Paul Celan receives the request under unfavorable circumstances. He sees no renewal or reconciliation around him, but rather signs of renewed anti-Semitism ("Wenn ich meine Einstellung kurz charakterisieren darf: für mich bleiben diese Dinge, auch heute noch, in ein Dunkel getaucht, tiefer als man es gemeinhin wahrhaben will, ich sehe, wenn ich ehrlich sein soll, keinerlei "Silberstreifen" am Horizont"). During lectures in Germany, he is ridiculed and confronted with false accusations of plagiarism. He hesitates, doubts, indicates that Geraedts' plan should be broader ("Ich will versuchen, es auch anders zu formulieren: ein Oratorium wie das von Ihnen geplante müsste, für mein Gefühl, zeitich umfassender (mithin unbegrenzter) gestaltet sein, als man es, auf den erste Blick, konzipieren mag") but then, in the second letter, agrees to write the text ("Ich will versuchen, den Text zu schreiben, den Sie von mir erwarten"). The first letter, in which Celan explains his circumstances and expresses his doubts, was never finished by Celan, therefore not signed, and was sent together with the second letter in one envelope, as he explains in the second letter: "Ich habe - der beiliegende, nicht zu Ende geschriebene Brief soll es Ihnen zu beweisen versuchen - immer wieder an Ihren Brief gedacht (...)". The oratorio text was never written, despite repeated attempts by Jaap Geraedts to persuade Paul Celan to collaborate.
ADDED: a tyescript letter by the "Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt Gmbh." to Jaap Geraedts, dated "2. Juli 1957", 1 leaf, recto only, w. the firm's printed letterhead and a typescript postcard by the same.
- Both w. filing holes in left blank margin; the letter sl. frayed in lower blank margin, the postcard w. 2 sm. tears.
= Answering a request by Geraedts for information to contact Paul Celan, the postcard providing his address and the letter i.a. reading: "Über Ihre Bemühngen um einen Kontakt mit Herrn Celan freuen wir uns und möchten Ihnen empfehlen, sich nog etwas zu gedulden. Wir zweifeln nicht daran, daß er Ihnen sofort nach seiner Rückkehr nach Paris antworten wird."
WITH: Geraedts, P. (1924-2003). Two TYPESCRIPT LETTERS SIGNED and 1 AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED to Paul Sars, dated from "Scheveningen, 1 maart '90" to "Scheveningen 5 october 1995", together 4 lvs., recto only, 2x w. orig. envelope.
= Providing extensive information on the background of his plan to compose the oratorium as well as on the letters by Celan. In the last letter he endorses the letters to Sars. "(...) wanneer ik dit plan nu herlees schaam ik mij over de mateloze pretentie en het ontoereikend inzicht in de tragische essentie van het thema waaraan ik mij wilde wagen. Meer nog dan destijds treft mij dan ook de ernst, en de uitvoerigheid waarmee Celan in zijn eerste brief (1 [sic] juli 1957) op mijn plan reageerde (...). Tijdens het weekend van 8-10 maart hadden Paul Celan en ik een korte ontmoeting in Parijs. Hiervan herinner ik mij weinig, behalve zijn aarzelende en naar mijn gevoel niet werkelijk meer geïnteresseerde houding t.o.v. het oratoriumplan. Achteraf heb ik het vermoeden dat hij mijn artistieke en menselijke onrijpheid van destijds heeft aangevoeld en (terecht!) heeft vermoed dat ik tegen een opgave als het realiseren van een dergelijk werk niet opgewassen zou zijn. (...)". On the correspondence of Celan and Geraedts, see at large: P. Sars (ed.), Paul Celan, Jaap Geraedts - Keinerlei "Silberstreifen" am Horizont - Der Briefwechsel des Dichters mit dem Komponisten (Zürich/ Münster, 2013). SEE ILLUSTRATION PLATE CXI.
75 2517 Literature Rambosson Y 1872 1943 
= Dedication to the Swiss critic and author William Ritter.
75 2518 Literature Silva D da 2nd half 19th cent 
- Lacks binding. Hinges broken; first 12p. and final quire loose(ening); occas. stained/ soiled.
= Collection of poems and short stories by i.a. C. Huygens, N.J. Storm van 's Gravesande, H. Tollens, I. Immerzeel Jr., H. Asschenbergh, P.A. de Genestet and J. van Lennep.
75/2519 Maritime history Insurance policy 
= The brig Sirene was constructed in 1847 and sailed to i.a. Manila and Batavia under captain Boone.
75 2520 Maritime history Sipsma J J late 19th cent 
75 2520 Maritime history Sipsma J J late 19th cent 
75 2520 Maritime history Sipsma J J late 19th cent 
- Browned; 3 lvs. torn out; some underlining and annots. in ballpoint. Frontcover loose(ning); covers sl. rubbed.
= Extensive journal and interesting, first-hand account of different journeys of a crewmember "5e stuurman K.N. Marine" (later: "3e stuurman" and "2e stuurman") on different Dutch ships, i.a. steamships Prins Frederik and Prinses Amalia, to Batavia and back to Holland. The journal gives detailed information of i.a. the crewmembers ("Kap.: Graadt van Roggen"), the weather conditions ("hooge deining en regenachtig weer"), places visited/ stationed (Paris, Atjeh, Surabaya, Singapore), life on board and in general along the journey ("1 Januari [1885]. Op dezen dag naar de wal gegaan, maar weinig plezier gehad"). The journal also includes some copies of letters, i.a. to "Notaris Wiersma te Roordahuizum" and "Lieve Margaretha!".
75 2521 Mathematics Daniel G 1st half 18th cent 
75 2521 Mathematics Daniel G 1st half 18th cent 
75 2521 Mathematics Daniel G 1st half 18th cent 
= Early 18th century Dutch transcript from Dictionnaire Mathematique by J. Ozanam (fist publ. 1691, Paris) on compass tools. The translator G. Daniel writes on the title: "Getranslateert, 1710, voor eigen gebruijk". SEE ILLUSTRATION PLATE CX.
75 2522 Mathematics Otjes V 18th cent 
75 2522 Mathematics Otjes V 18th cent 
75 2522 Mathematics Otjes V 18th cent 
75 2522 Mathematics Otjes V 18th cent 
- First 30 lvs. brittle along edges w. some minor loss of text first leaf.
= An 18th century mathematical manuscript consisting of 11 "Gronden der Meetkunst" in which its author, Volkert Otjes, most probably tried to simpifly Euclides' Elementen. The second part of the manuscript consists of the first 94 "Geometrische Questien door Marten Wilkens" (M. Wilkens, Arithemetica, ed. 1669?).
75 2523 Medieval manuscripts Eight leaves from a Book of Hours 
75/2524 Medieval manuscripts Leaf from an antiphonary 
75/2524 Medieval manuscripts Leaf from an antiphonary 
- Some slight wear to the ink on verso.
= Decoration attributed to GIOVANNI PIETRO DA BIRAGO, also known as the Master of the Sforza Hours. According to the previous owner, a leaf from an antiphonary illuminated by Da Birago c. 1480 for an Olivetan monastery in Upper Italy. Other cuttings and leaves of this manuscript are preserved in European and American libraries. See Bauer-Eberhardt, Die italienische Miniaturen der 13.-16. Jahrhunderts (Munich, 1984, nr.18/1-16 and Abb.56-62). SEE ILLUSTRATION PLATE CXII.
75/2525 Medieval manuscripts Leaf from an antiphonary 
75/2526 Medieval manuscripts Leaf from an unidentified work 
75/2526 Medieval manuscripts Leaf from an unidentified work 
- A few sm. holes, mostly along former horizontal middlefold; vellum darkened, verso worse and rubbed.
= Probably a leaf from a codex with the homilies of Saint Bede (see Engelberg, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. 47, f.2r).
75/2527 Missal Manuscript leaf from prob a prayerbook 
75/2527 Missal Manuscript leaf from prob a prayerbook 
- Two sm. waterstains; 3 corners (sl.) dam. (all repaired).
75/2528 Missal Missal 
75/2528 Missal Missal 
75/2528 Missal Missal 
- Sm. bookplate on upper pastedown; some lvs. sl. dam. Covers sl. worn.
= Very attractive manuscript, probably southern French/ Spanish, with beautifully decorated inititals. SEE ILLUSTRATION PLATE CXII.