(Rijksmuseum SK-A-3963)
Catalogus librorum (…) Petri de Graaf (…), p. 83, no. 512 (Libri Miscellanei in Duodecimo &c.)
Compared to other libraries of the same period, Pieter’s collection stands out for its above-average representation of Italian authors and works in Italian. No explicit connection to Italy or its language can be found in Pieter’s life and writings, but his library suggests otherwise. This observation has prompted further research to shed light on how these Italian books may have entered his collection. While Pieter’s Grand Tour concentrated on France and England, his almanacs document several trips his brother Jacob made to Italy. In one extended journey, from 1686 to 1688, Jacob was joined by his nephew Cornelis (Pieter and Jacoba’s eldest son), who was sixteen at the time.
Among the travel guides in the library is the renowned compact itinerary by Giuseppe Miselli (1637–1695) titled Il burattino veridico, overo istruzione generale per chi viaggia con la Descrizione dell'Europa, distinzione de' Regni, Prouincie, e Città, e con la Tauola delle Poste nelle vie più regolate, che al presente si trovano. Miselli aimed to offer practical and trustworthy advice to early modern European travelers, drawing from his extensive experience as a papal courier. The guide includes a concise vocabulary list of ‘most essential words for the travelers in various languages in Europe’. This list, presented in a comparative table, features translations into Italian, French, Spanish, German, Polish, and Turkish, highlighting the geopolitical significance of the latter two languages at the start of the Great Turkish War.
The first edition of Il burattino veridico was published in Rome in 1682, followed by a second edition in Venice in 1685, and several updated and revised versions until around 1700. The travel dates of Jacob and Cornelis, as recorded in Pieter’s almanacs, align well with the publication dates of this guide, suggesting that they likely purchased it for its timely information to aid their travels. Another travel guide in the catalogue which can be related to the same journey is the guide of Naples and its surroundings in duodecimo written by Pompeo Sarnelli (1649–1724) and published in the last decades of the seventeenth century (Catalogus librorum (…) Petri de Graaf (…), p. 83, no. 509).
The almanacs also provide evidence that Pieter brought to his house his brother’s books after Jacob’s premature death in 1690. This explains the presence of this and other books in Italian in the catalogue.
USTC record (edition Venice, 1685): 1747855
Browse through the edition printed in Venice in 1685 on Google books
Consult and download the annotated transcription of Pieter de Graeff's book auction catalogue here.
References and further reading:
C. Piccoli, Pieter de Graeff (1638-1707) and his treffelyke bibliotheek (Brill, 2025).
P. van Heck, 'Libri italiani nelle biblioteche private olandesi del Seicento', in L'Italiano oltre frontiera. V Convegno Internazionale (Leuven, 22-25 aprile 1998) (Leuven, 2000), pp. 93-109.
Written by Chiara Piccoli