Papers by Bert van de Roemer
The MIT Press eBooks, Sep 20, 2022
B. van de Roemer et al. (eds.), Maria Sibylla Merian. Changing the Nature of Art and Science, 2022
In the history of Dutch book production, 1705 was a remarkable year. Two sumptuous publications a... more In the history of Dutch book production, 1705 was a remarkable year. Two sumptuous publications appeared on the market: Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium by Maria Sibylla Merian and D'Amboinsche Rariteitkamer by Georg Everhard Rumphius (1627-1702). Both works formed in their own specific idiom an apex in the tradition of natural history illustrations. The high-quality prints made them exemplary reference books, and many authors after 1705 referred to the descriptions and images in Merian and Rumphius. Their works became benchmarks for natural history research.
B. van de Roemer et al. (eds.), Maria Sibylla Merian. Changing the Nature of Art and Science, 2022
This chapter will discuss a specific set of sources concerning Maria Sibylla Merian: visual and t... more This chapter will discuss a specific set of sources concerning Maria Sibylla Merian: visual and textual evidences of her contributions in what are known as alba amicorum, or friendship albums. These were special booklets, mostly of oblong format, popular among people in the early modern period to keep track of their social circle and collect tokens of affection or prestige. They served as important testimonies of polite and social conduct. In the German language these books were called Stammbuch-a word used by Merian herself-or in Dutch Stamboek, terms that are nowadays more associated with genealogical registers of domestic animals and livestock ("studbook" or "herdbook"). They form a fascinating category of ego documents and excellent sources to learn more about the social and cultural circles in which historical persons circulated.
B. v.d. Roemer et al. (eds.), Maria Sibylla Merian. Changing the Nature of Art and Science, 2022
Early Modern Low Countries, december 2019, p. 208–233, 2019
D’Amboinsche Rariteitkamer, published in 1705, was a well known treatise on the crustaceans, molu... more D’Amboinsche Rariteitkamer, published in 1705, was a well known treatise on the crustaceans, moluscs and minerals of the Indonesian island Ambon. The traditional literature on this work depicts a difference between the editor of the text and images, Simon Schijnvoet (1652-1727), and the original author, Georg Everhard Rumphius (1627-1702). Schijnvoet was seen as the ‘frivolous collector’ who did not understand the motives of the original author, whereas Rumphius was seen as the ‘serious naturalist’ and biologist avant la lettre, whose work predated Linnaeus. This paper re-evaluates these contrasting views by placing both men against a broader background of a ‘scientific culture’ and ‘knowledge production’, that was in part informed by the practice of collecting. By discussing their views on the classification of specimens, the formation of specific stones, and the locality of fossilised shells, questions emerge about Rumphius’s modernity and Schijnvoet’s alleged indifference. Even though their opinions often diverged, it will be shown that the motives and interests of the two men were not that different.
History of Science, 2004
Neat nature: the relation between nature and art in a Dutch cabinet of curiosities from the early... more Neat nature: the relation between nature and art in a Dutch cabinet of curiosities from the early eighteenth century van de Roemer, B.
Collectors of curiosities gained deep knowledge of their naturalia while cleaning, embellishing, ... more Collectors of curiosities gained deep knowledge of their naturalia while cleaning, embellishing, positioning, arranging and maintaining the objects they had so onerous obtained. The essay ‘Art opens the Book of Nature’ in the catalogue Medusa’s Menagerie. Otto Marseus via Schrieck and the Scholars illustrates how this worked in the case of three collectors of curiosities of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century. The anatomist Frederik Ruysch tried through his ‘art’ of anatomical preservation to dispel the decaying effects of death. Simon Schijnvoet used his knowledge of the ’art’ of classicist architecture to order his collection in an elegant as well as instructive way. Levinus Vincent and Joanna van Breda, producers and merchants of luxury textiles, applied their knowledge of artful textile techniques to make splendorous assemblages of butterflies, beetles, flies and other insects. Through their art the collectors opened the Book of Nature.
For the new facsimile of Maria Sibylla Merian's principal work, Metamorphosis insectorum Suriname... more For the new facsimile of Maria Sibylla Merian's principal work, Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium from 1705, (facsimile published in October 2016) Bert van de Roemer wrote one of the introductory essays. When Maria Sibylla Merian settled in Amsterdam in 1691 she could have chosen no better place to develop to the full her talent and passion as a naturalist and painter. She describes in the preface of her book how she was stimulated in her entomological research by the insects she found in the many cabinets of curiosities the city harbored. She also took part in a lively network of collectors, naturalist and publishers. This essay describes her relation towards three collectors: Simon Schijnvoet (a fellow naturalist who supported her work), Frederik Ruysch (a distinguished professor in anatomy and botany), and Levinus Vincent (a rival merchant and collector).
Amstelodamum 102-4 [2015] 147 merel klein, bert van de roemer en erik schmitz Historische kaarten... more Amstelodamum 102-4 [2015] 147 merel klein, bert van de roemer en erik schmitz Historische kaarten opnieuw geschud Digitale ontwikkelingen en het veranderende beeld van de Amsterdamse geschiedenis De Amsterdamse geschiedenis wordt steeds vaker digitaal op de kaart gezet. Locaties van beerputten aangetroffen bij archeologisch onderzoek, de plaatsen van verkeerslichten vanaf de jaren dertig, de woonpatronen van de Amsterdamse elite door de eeuwen heen: tal van historische gegevens lenen zich voor een geografische weergave. 1 Een dergelijke koppeling van gegevens aan een kaart in een digitaal programma wordt een Geografisch Informatiesysteem (gis) genoemd. Een g i s biedt niet alleen de mogelijkheid tot het overzichtelijk weergeven van historische gegevens, het is ook een krachtig instrument voor analyse en ontsluiting.
This research project is part of the more extensive project Create at the University of Amsterdam... more This research project is part of the more extensive project Create at the University of Amsterdam. By studying and analyzing the handwritten travel account of Z.C. von Uffenbach (1683-1734), this project will focus on the geographical distribution of the cultural industry in Amsterdam in the early eighteenth century. Instead of looking at one professional group, the project takes an interdisciplinary perspective, and wants to present a cross section of the total creative scene of Amsterdam. In doing so it will provide new data for historians and scholars of various disciplines.
Von Uffenbach’s travel account Merkwürdige Reisen durch Niedersachsen, Holland und Engelland, published in 1754, is well known. However, the original manuscript holds many valuable data that were not included in the final publication. One of the most important assets is that the addresses of many cultural workers are recorded, which makes an analysis of the geographical distribution of this professional and social group possible.
For the intiguing website Public Domain Review, Bert van de Roemer explored the curiosity cabinet... more For the intiguing website Public Domain Review, Bert van de Roemer explored the curiosity cabinet of the Dutch collector Levinus Vincent and how the aesthetic drive behind his meticulous ordering of the contents was in essence religious, an attempt to emphasise the wonder of God’s creations by restoring the natural world to its prelapsarian harmony. Vincent and Joanna van Breda, his wife, created a spectacular 'Wonder Theatre of Nature' in their cabinet and many visitors were amazed and would kneel down in awe for this beautifully arranged collections. As producers and merchant of luxury textiles, like silk, damask and brocade, Levinus and Joanna would employ textile techniques to embellish their collections. Drawers with butterflies, beetles and other insects were arranged in beautiful ornamental forms to add more splendor to God's creation.
In 1670 Willem Goeree (1635-1711) published a small treatise titled Inleyding tot de practijck de... more In 1670 Willem Goeree (1635-1711) published a small treatise titled Inleyding tot de practijck der al-gemeene schilder-konst (Introduction to the practice of the general art of painting), which was the first of several writings on the arts. Eight years later Samuel van Hoogstraten (1627-1678) published his lengthier Inleyding tot de hooge schoole der schilderkonst (Introduction to the academy of painting). Even though art historians paid less attention to the versatile Goeree, when they discuss them the two writers together they are often treated as if they were of one accord. However, after reading the texts of Van Hoogstraten en Goeree, one might be struck more by the differences rather than by the similarities. They discuss comparable themes, but the reader seems at times to enter another world.
Van Hoogstraten’s writings bear traits that are, for a large part, rooted in the old humanistic and traditional Aristotelian-scholastic school of 'bookish culture'. He shows an accumulative manner of collecting data, not only in his thoughts, but also in the way he transmits these thoughts. Goeree is just as long-winded, but we see a more analytical approach of his topics which at times reveal traces of the New Philosophy. Also an inclination to mathematize and analyse the arts forms a distinct contrast between the two authors. These differences become manifest on different levels: in the organization of their chapters, in the way they render their information, in their opinions on the intellectual development of the artist, and in their views on the aspect of chance in art.
The elaborate way in which the Dutch anatomist Frederik Ruysch (1638–1731) decorated and present... more The elaborate way in which the Dutch anatomist Frederik Ruysch (1638–1731) decorated and presented his anatomical cabinet has raised questions as to whether we should view him as a scientist or rather as an artist. The concept of the collection as ‘baroque monument’ or as merely ‘bizarre’ fails to acknowledge its complexity, as can be demonstrated by quantitative analyses of its contents. Furthermore, these analyses show how the nature of the embellishments changed through time and how the vanitas element gradually made way for statements about the magnificence of the human body and its Creator. In his cabinet, Ruysch juxtaposed the ‘divine embroidery’ of the body with textiles made by human hand, thereby emphasizing the existence of an intellectual entity that was responsible for the human fabric. This way of working concurred with contemporary physico-theological discourses against atheism, in which the so-called argument from design gained dominance.
In collections of the early modern period, the combination of art and nature could accomplish att... more In collections of the early modern period, the combination of art and nature could accomplish attractive results. A good example of this is still to be seen at the Zoological Museum in Amsterdam, where three drawers containing shells, dating from the beginning of the eighteenth century, survive in the collections ( ). 1 In the drawers, each shell resides, species by species, on a bed of white silk, within a little compartment of its own bounded by slats painted blue. The drawers as a whole make up an elegant assemblage of colourful shells, arranged in geometrical patterns. These designs served a practical function, in that the shells were prevented from rolling around in the drawer; but they also served a less prosaic purpose: the harmonious arrangements enhanced the sensory pleasure engendered by the collection. Modern viewers can still appreciate the beauty of the drawers.
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Papers by Bert van de Roemer
Von Uffenbach’s travel account Merkwürdige Reisen durch Niedersachsen, Holland und Engelland, published in 1754, is well known. However, the original manuscript holds many valuable data that were not included in the final publication. One of the most important assets is that the addresses of many cultural workers are recorded, which makes an analysis of the geographical distribution of this professional and social group possible.
Van Hoogstraten’s writings bear traits that are, for a large part, rooted in the old humanistic and traditional Aristotelian-scholastic school of 'bookish culture'. He shows an accumulative manner of collecting data, not only in his thoughts, but also in the way he transmits these thoughts. Goeree is just as long-winded, but we see a more analytical approach of his topics which at times reveal traces of the New Philosophy. Also an inclination to mathematize and analyse the arts forms a distinct contrast between the two authors. These differences become manifest on different levels: in the organization of their chapters, in the way they render their information, in their opinions on the intellectual development of the artist, and in their views on the aspect of chance in art.
Von Uffenbach’s travel account Merkwürdige Reisen durch Niedersachsen, Holland und Engelland, published in 1754, is well known. However, the original manuscript holds many valuable data that were not included in the final publication. One of the most important assets is that the addresses of many cultural workers are recorded, which makes an analysis of the geographical distribution of this professional and social group possible.
Van Hoogstraten’s writings bear traits that are, for a large part, rooted in the old humanistic and traditional Aristotelian-scholastic school of 'bookish culture'. He shows an accumulative manner of collecting data, not only in his thoughts, but also in the way he transmits these thoughts. Goeree is just as long-winded, but we see a more analytical approach of his topics which at times reveal traces of the New Philosophy. Also an inclination to mathematize and analyse the arts forms a distinct contrast between the two authors. These differences become manifest on different levels: in the organization of their chapters, in the way they render their information, in their opinions on the intellectual development of the artist, and in their views on the aspect of chance in art.