book
- Museum number
- Am1994,02.5
- Description
-
Book, of blank paper, with birchbark covers, finely embroidered with a floral design in white, blue and orange moosehair. The binding (sheepskin) is sewn to the gathered paper with silk; porcupine fibre on back of book.
- Production date
- 1750-1785
- Dimensions
-
Height: 12.50 centimetres
-
Width: 7 centimetres
-
Depth: 1.50 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- Purchased by J.C.H.King from Anthony Jack, 4/24 Cathcart Hill, London N19 5QN.
The dating of this book depends on the paper. This has a large watermark of a figure on a horse, not a postilion. Undeneath is 'WILLEM.FREDERIK ERF. Pr V.
ORANJEN'. The ERF means heir in Dutch, so that this 'Prince William Frederick
heir of Orange' should be identifiable. The explanation was provided by A.R.
Donnithorne of BM Conservation Dept. and M.Royalton-Kisch of the BM Prints and Drawings Dept. The dating depends on similarities between this watermark and those in the following book: H Vorn 'De papiermolens in de provincie Nord-Holland.' Haarlem, 1960. See numbers: 186: Horseman, with 'WKH Fryso', from the factory of the well known papermakers D & C Blauw. 1753; 187: Horseman with 'Prins Willem de Vyfde.' 1788; 188: Horseman with 'Willem Frederik erf Pr V Orangen', undated.
The paper in the book is closest to number 188, but it is reasonable to suppose that the paper dates to approximately the same period as the previous two papers. This kind of book may have been prepared for some missionary or religous purpose; there is an example in the 1988 Glenbow Museum catalogue 'The Spirit Sings' in the Vatican. It is often assumed that this kind of work was carried out by the Ursuline nuns in Quebec City, until the fall of New France resulted in the disappearance of much of the monastic system; Indians took over. So this could be either French-Canadian or Huron. (JCK,3/1994).
- Location
- Not on display
- Condition
- Poor, the binding is split, pieces of birchbark are missing, and the moosehair edging is also deffective.
- Acquisition date
- 1994
- Acquisition notes
- Presented by Estelle and Morton Sosland.
- Department
- Africa, Oceania and the Americas
- Registration number
- Am1994,02.5
