First Edition Title Page On Silk, Ghent 1749 – Joannes Baptista De Camer – Printer: Jan Meyer

First Mass poster on silk, Ghent 1749 – Joannes Baptista de Camer – Printer Jan Meyer

18th-centuryFlemish print on silk

Rare and large commemorativeprint on silk (not paper!), celebrating the firstMass of Mr. Joannes Baptista de Camer, celebrated at the Episcopal Seminary ofGhent on December 21, 1749.

This piece belongs to awell-defined genre of Flemish religious printmaking from the Ancien Régime: the“first Mass” poster (eerstelingsprent), printed on the occasion ofthe ordination of a new priest and his first celebration of the Eucharist.The title, “Geestelyke Camer” (“Spiritual Chamber”), plays on the surnameof the honoree, De Camer, “built upon the foundations of priestly dignity.”

The text consists of twolong poems set in columns: the first draws on the metaphor of Solomon’s Templeto evoke the spiritual formation of the young priest; the second reflects onthe priesthood and the Eucharistic institution, drawing on the Gospel ofSaint Matthew (chapters 3, 6, 26, and 27).

This is followed by a chronogram (“Jaer-schrift”) encoding the year 1749 in its capital letters, then asong in four verses, to be sung to a popular tune of the time (“SoetHerder soet”), intended to be sung by the guests during the celebration.

Thebottom of the page specifies that the piece was presented by the sisters of the newlyordained priest, Isabella Josepha and Elisabeth Bogaert. The piece was printed by Jan Meyer, inGhent, under the sign “Le Glaive couronné,” Hoogpoort—colophon at the bottom of thesheet: “Tot Gendt, by Jan Meyer, op d'Hoog-poorte in 't gekroont Sweirdt”Date: 1749(M.D.CC.XLIX).

This type of leafletwas normally printed on paper in small runs and distributed to guests atthe ceremony; copies printed on silk constituted anexceptional luxury edition, reserved for the recipient himself or his immediate family,intended to be preserved as a precious keepsake rather than distributed. Thispractice is attested for gelegenheidsgedichten (occasional poems)in Dutch and Flemish from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Good overall condition despite a few water stainsand old spots.

A rare and unusual item for collectors of early printed works,the religious history of the former Southern Netherlands, 18th-century Flemish typography,or for any genealogical research concerning the DeCamer and Bogaert families in the Ghent region.

Dimensions: 54.5 x 74 cm

Price does not include shipping costs

Police Registry Ref.: A208

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