EXHIBITION: ANTIQUE BIBLES AND BOOKS

Dutch antiquities are exhibited in a cottage in Windwardside.

After having presented the antique tiles from 1600-1800 with biblical and other scenes,
an exhibition of 8 bibles and 40 books in parchment and leather from between 1640 and 1777
can be seen from the 24^th of December until the 3^rd of January.

Opening hours: between 10:00 – 12:00 and between 14:00 – 16:00, every day also in weekends.
A voluntary contribution in the costs: $ 1

The ambiance is a renovated cottage in Windwardside (just above Juliana’s hotel)
that is furnished with antiquities in a typical Dutch style (one room mainly 17^th and two other rooms 18 ^th century).

René Caderius van Veen moved his collections from the Netherlands to Saba
and actually the exhibitions are in the cottage where he lives.

Contact info
cell-phone: +599-416 5856 email: caderius@mac.com

Bibles and cultural history

with many engravings: a first example is a very large bible from 1748
of which the engravings can be seen through this LINK

plus other engravings d.d. 1733 from the Old Testament LINK
and from the New Testament LINK

and an example of a non religious book from 1694
with engravings and poems of 100 professions and other human activities
to be seen already by using this LINK

A German book from 1773 about cultures all over the world;
Just images of part I are scanned and can be seen here
also about the red-indians of the Caribbean isles
etc. etc. etc.

A powerpoint presentation shows miniatures made by medieval Dutch artists the brothers Limburg in Les Belles Heures (1409)
and Très Riches Heures both collected by Jean, Duc de Berry (1416) and miniatures made by Hugo van der Goes (in 1470 – 1480)
and others collected in the Grimani Breviari. These religious books are called Books of Hours.
Replicas of these and other Books of Hours are to be seen as well
A very small one has been scanned an can be viewed at this link, but there are several others .

And of course special attention to Christmas

The complete list of titles can be found here with links to images here with links to images. This list has been completed up to 1900 plus a list of replica.
A foretaste of title pages can be seen here

* * *

A personal note

The collection has been made by an extraordinary woman:
my aunt Vera Caderius van Veen (1912- 1994).
First she was assistant pharmacist. One of her actions that she never spoke about,
was her collecting of wounded and dead bodies at the Grebbeberg in 1940 when the Hitler troops had attacked the Dutch army there.
After 1943 she had studied in Boskoop and had got a gardeners degree

but in 1944 the family, that lived near the bridge over the river the Rhine, had to evacuate to Friesland.
There she started to collect antiquities – tiles with biblical scenes and - mainly religious - books.
She was member of two churches: the Baptist and the Remonstrant church.
After the evacuation she studied botany and became an analyst at what is now University Wageningen
and at the same time she studied biology and after Wageningen she became analyst
at the veterinarian faculty of University Utrecht and at the renown research institute TNO.

When she was retired, she started to study Greek and Hebrew because she wanted to discuss with theologians
about correct translations and meaning of the original texts of the bible. She travelled to Egypt, to Israel, to Jordan and St Petersburg
in those years that her mother allowed her to do so. For her private life at home was actually a hell.

The feeling of moral obligations related to religion had her in a hostage on one hand and religion was an escape out of the hell on the other hand.

These exhibitions of her collections are also meant to remind and to honour her.