18th-century Dutch VOC Delft chamber notebook with silver mounts
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
18th-century
This 18th-century notebook, bound in black chagrin (sealskin), was produced for the Dutch East India Company (VOC) Delft chamber as a high-end business gift. Measuring 13 x 8 cm, the binding features elaborate silver ornaments in relief on both boards, including a central plaque depicting a three-masted ship (an East Indiaman) surrounded by scrollwork, flanked by two ornaments bearing the initials "VOCD".
The volume is designed to be closed by an original silver pen, which slides through rings mounted on the fore-edge. The interior contains blank leaves, chintz-paper endpapers, and a folding pocket on the inside back cover. All page edges are gilt. The silver components bear various hallmarks, including the maker's mark "AG" on the pen, identified as that of Abraham Geurts of Amsterdam (active 1764-1807).
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- black chagrin (sealskin) and silver
- Dimensions
- 13 x 8 cm
Technical characteristics
- Edges
- gilt
- Closure
- silver pen through fore-edge rings
Design
- Interior
- blank leaves with chintz-paper endpapers and a folding pocket
- Cover ornament
- three-masted ship with VOCD initials
Identification
- Source note
- Described from a single auction-house listing published on Invaluable (reproduced with Invaluable's permission). Details apply to that one example; other examples of the type may differ, and the listing is supplementary evidence, not authentication.
- Maker named in listing
- Abraham Geurts
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.