The sun., 1878-09-01
AN OLD 1IME PRINTING OFFICE
Tho PIantin Museum mt AntwerP-Is Treas
ures aud lite Curio-itfca.

selicr named Chriatophcr pantin. established
himself in n small shop. pres n Boip'se ucure
at Antwerp. His wife sold linen. and he bound
books a. we'll ~ sold them. Tho learnod Gra-
phaeus employed him as IA binlcr. and.
pleased with his integrity and Industry. as
sisted him with capital. 80 that in 1855 Plan
tin. who was a skilled ypographor. was
enabled to start q complete printing Office.
Intelligence and industry met with their
usual reward. and in two years Plantins
business had so increased that he moved to
new and more extensive prcmisra, known ns
the Golden Unicorn" Here great prosperity
The building in tie MarchG do Vcndrcdi which
Inns over since been associated with his name.
and there placed over the portal his famous de-
pair Of compnsses. Tho motto he chose was
Ldb0re Il Copsinniii, the fixed limb Of the COM
pass representing stcadincss and the moving
In 1889 Plantin died the riches, rs well as
the most famous printer in Europe having
been intimately connected with MI the master
minds Of his age. and having contributed
greatly to the advancement Of learning and the
as o Tyrsr SHx 10 bn ,hi ,See G5e L" sma
ran Guicciardini. when spenking Of the Plan
tin printing office. thcn in its zenith. never
was sccn before 90 large and SO varied collar-
tion of types md presses. of matrices of orna-
ments. and of all sorts Of Typographical apph-
ancva and instruments: nor. indeed. 50 many
ahlc workmcn skilled in the knowledge anu use
ot 20 priceless n COLLECTION
ono of Plantin's two daughters married John
Murctus. the chief aLsociate Of her father IN
his typographical labors, TO- whom he bc-
gurathed the mansion and the business. From
HIM through seven generations ot prlntors II
has descended unchanged to Edward Joseph
transfrrred IL To- t,c safe custody Of the city Of
Antwerp for the sum Of s2iDOOO.
Let lis now endeavor 10 gain an idea. however
naifpuaic of the various possessions for
which 40 large n sum has been given.
|. The mansion: u fine quadraugular build.
luE 9t the nte"ntn century. thr in;ai" oi
dwelling apartments. the foundry the compo--
ing rooms the press room. reading rooms.
llhrariOs, archives. AMI other onircs. Iu-t rs
they existed Ia the palmiest days Of Plantin's
career.
Enlcring under the archcd gateway. the quad
rnuglc has charming circct. The walls hc-
tween tho windows are ornamcnted with carved
nichcS in which are the buss Of celebrated
printers. several Of them cmbowercd ly ma
| turrs own hand I'm framework OF vine leaves
and tendrila which still spring from the orig
inal stock planted more than three hundred
years ago by the hand ~ plantln himself
ii. FAINT nEs ana LngraNlngs. ne on paiht.
ings nrc both numerous and valuable, all but
six being portraits either Of the family or ot
gelchrniri prrSons connected with I!auiln and
his lnhors. Eighteen aro 10y l,uhcns, who seems
~ have heen frequent visitor 10 the Nlai-on
paid him mr. still preserved in thc archives.
The prints are very numerous. all worry mo
and mostly very rare. There are many large
| Portfolios full Of engraNings after huO"u-.
Teniers, Van Dyck. and Jorda.ns Others
2rc nled with the works 9i Cri- de
]
| grayers all being proofs before letters,
aud in the finest possible c9ni it.on. Here
! is n precious collection Of 400 original
/ sketches 10y various oil masters. Of which eleven
/ are hy Euhens. rs testified hy his autograph.
| III. The Lierary,-T2 give faint deseripiio
| Of the 10000 books here assembled together
/ short list given by VI. Icon Degeorge it would
"Caxton " or two two 6ut very few books
/ from tho Westminster press passed over
] Ina ia
noting INK with them IS Is preservsd in fnG ~
a,inn oi This very book was the carlicst dated
book from CsNton's prc-s and was entitled
Lht Hgrs ana Nhy'.gts ,y % uls ,,.Ds"P'fs. ~ r., VI ~
Bible edited by Montanus. there are Ires
! copies herc. one Of which "a printed on vellum
! printed in Greek. Latin. Hebrew. Chaldee, and
syriac. The composition Of the types and thc
| p,sitnrs for four years the workmen having {,
serve kind Of appreniiceship before thy r. :"
total ,ost was reokonod ~ Piantin 10 he ipool
crowns. hno copy on Ncllum. belonging &
Ear. Spencer. win autogr9ph rorreclons hi
/ hihted ai the. CaNion celebration last year
| other books aear 70 tho photographer are
| Inster Bible. lij9; n Sarum Breviary from ih'
| press II Thcod. Martens 81 louynine one ~
large and extremely interesting COLLECTION o
rHr. mis-als aud hrcylarir-. vcuum CI'"ro
li6C. BY John Fust; numerous tdllputs p.t
cipss - tho classics, and lastly, an cN"nsiN' ns
semhlage oi books. u tracts. and OF pacards
many unllue. Illustrative ~ the coniemporaTl
Tho mannscrlpis are in number about poo
several being ~ great rarity. In any collector
! ~ Mss the most common are those & Ia" ~
| tscuth century. works oi the iOurir'uih h'iul
| rqrn and ~ the agp- hof,rr that extremely rare
Ict several here were written in the twelfth
tenth. and even ninth centuries. one, entitled
Carmen Paschale." has special interest 10
Elo-- in AnglD-SuXon the characters hring q
tn tnn,h century. aN probably written in tAi
country. A similar work, Priscianus 81 IN
same period, has also an Ansl.,, Saxon ,gloss.
Prp pLdhly 10 part 81 the Malspn llauun
wi "1cito more Interest lhan -...., -
~ The Archives. Here ar" preserved IN
account books md other documents eonnete'
with the establlshment, from IT. COMMENCEMENT
up 10 4 recent date Here are the journals com
| lirt. beginning al the year 1876. in viii IN ms
| he seen the purchases and sales II any inter
mediate period. Here' to. are tho gres
oi-hlnd from Ruhens; particulars OF n
the work for which estimates were r.
Spparn,.' As Asa sure H suiie 10 10 Tho position q III
workmcn in the sixteenth. seventeenth nm
complete. showing the weekly earnings OF CON
HIg,S HGIegr,SS over period Of ti'ifee ccliuri'- The
the same extent OF letter books IN which ia pr'
served the corresp spoudencr ~ tho house, IN
number of autograph leuers is beyond behe
etrl: the autographs Of kings statesmen
philosophers, historians and artists are pr'
H'l N''t NA'tI - 7i''' "ftt' ''t
printers Of France, Germany Italy, Englan'
AMI spain Very few oi them have been "llte'
aud many will throw quite now Light upon III
literary questions Of the sixteenth ana sever
tcenth centuries In tho sRmo collc'tio
are found royal diplomas, Inventories Will
genealogies accounts oi travel ON husihes
and family matters, and lnstly n long aut'
! biography Of Plnntin himself, IN which he ma
rates the hopes and fears the disappointment
and SUCCESSES Of fifteen cNentlul years.
! V. Tho Printing Olicrs In the conpoSr
room which II capitally lighted by side vii
dow-. stand numerous frames. the oases ~
| heavy with the type cast crnturicS ago n u
nAioining foundry. The rtsWuun sul hol,
tho copy " in the position "asirst Tor tho wor
| mon the composing sti rs with the Types n
ln them the matter standing in the gullry- rra,
tp ha made ny. the forms leaning against y
wall ready for the press-all serve 10 ielude II
I visitor into the belief that IT II merely dinn
time. and that soon the hum q business W
| rcaninate the empty rooms. inc press roo
ha, tie same air Of lntermltted work, hlhouI
ont Of the seventeen prc ssrs which IN loih We
seen nj work by De Thou, only five now +
mnin Two of thes" are n OLD ~ IN" sixteen
century. and all but one. which Is used l'i u
purposes Of the museum administration, q
| unfit for work.
But what have we here I'm all these curious
! carved old cabinets, II single ono oi wil
would make Soho dealer famous ShrlV
upon .hclvos of woodcuts. over l5o'l llluslI
ting three centuries Of the cngraNrrs ART. !