Spiegel der alderschoonste Cortisanen deses tijds. Verbeeldende desselfs verandering van Klederen, Vercierselen, en andere Ornamenten, onder haar gebruikelijk

N.pl: n.pr., 1701. FIRST EDITION THUS (See below). Hardcover. Fine. Bound in contemporary blind-ruled ivory vellum, re-cased, with blind-stamped floral ornaments at the corners and arabesque at center. The text and etchings are in very fine condition. Minor stain to inner margin of final leaf, tear in blank inner margin of title page,, small nick in outer margin of page "3". An attractive, fresh copy of a book usually found in poor condition. A newly-engraved edition of Crispijn van de Passe the Younger's "Mirror of the most beautiful Courtesans of this Age". The book consists of a letterpress title-page, letterpress dedication leaf, and 28 etched oval portraits, each with opposite letterpress text in French, Dutch and German. The portraits are re-engraved copies of de Passe's celebrated series, "Miroir des plus belles courtisanes de ce temps"(Amsterdam, 1630). This edition includes one new portrait ("Schoon Barbertjen"). Some others have been omitted.

Above each portrait is the name of the courtesan or procuress. The accompanying, witty quatrains -in French, Dutch, and German- tell us about each subject. It is possible that van de Passe, who studied and lived in Paris from 1617 to around 1630, wrote the French quatrains himself.

"The work became an immediate success. In six years no less than seven reprints appeared, five of which were printed from the original plates and two with copies of the prints. The original concept was soon expanded: reprints were supplemented with Dutch, German, and sometimes even English translations of the French quatrains... From 1631 onwards, the portraits were further embellished with two-line Dutch proverbs.

"The earliest editions of the courtesan prints appeared without an introduction or commentary. De Passe was probably criticized for the first edition; he decided to precede the second edition with a foreword in French, in which the honorable intention of the work was explained. The author hastened to say that he had no malicious intentions in creating his book: 'croisez que j'estime trop la Vertu pour la Calomnie'. He had by no means sought to encourage people to debauchery.

"De Passe gave several reasons for making this booklet. First of all, he wanted to show the fashion of that time. Secondly, his friends had asked him for it. He wanted to serve his colleagues, 'ceux qui veullent voir le Monde sans partir de leur Chambre' (those who want to see the world without leaving their room). The work thus functioned as an sample book for artists and as a source of instructive entertainment for laymen. Thanks to the 'Mirroir'/'Spiegel', they could keep abreast of the most famous women of pleasure, their physical appearance, and the clothes they wore. 'Glitter and glamour' for the fireside. The French quatrains below the portraits informed the reader about the career of the courtesans: especially details about their first steps along the path to the profession. People could learn how a decent girl could end up in 'the trade'. Portraits of the 'koppelaarsters'(the procuresses) who had 'seduced' the girls were also included...

"After the thirties, the popularity of this work seemed to have passed. Fashions had changed, the prostitutes were forgotten, and the cryptic French quatrains were no longer clearly understood. ....

"It may come as some surprise that, seventy years after the first edition, there was suddenly renewed interest in the courtesans of the 1620s-1630s. Nevertheless, in 1701 an unnamed publisher saw new possibilities for this work. He did not have access to the old plates (or maybe they were too worn?) and had some plates from one of the early editions copied - with the result that the images are in reverse. In addition, he adjusted the French quatrains stylistically and placed the portraits (with the well-known Dutch and German quatrains and the Dutch distichs), not two by two [as in the original], but one portrait per page. This change allowed the publisher to change the traditional oblong format into a standard octavo. Apparently due to this intervention: some portraits of ladies who were inextricably linked - such as La Belle Dans and her matchmaker Margo Macrelle, were omitted."(Inger Leemans, "Spiegel der schoonste courtisanen. Van hoerengids tot persoonlijke afrekening", (in: De Boekenwereld, 21, nr. 5 (July 2005), p. 266-282).