The rare first poetry collection of child prodigy Clara Feyoena van Sytzama (1729-1807), published when she was seventeen, and here in a Groningen presentation binding: a rare example of deluxe work by the so-called "Groningen Bird Bindery." Sytzama, born in Leeuwarden, moved to the village of Bellingeweer near Groningen at an early age. She quickly took centre stage in a circle of student poets in Groningen, at a time when such literary groups were generally dominated by men. Her poetry in general often reflects events in her personal life. The poems in the present book are about evenly divided between "spiritual" and "miscellaneous." Sytzama herself later admitted that some were rather weak and that it was her proud fathers initiative to have them published, and he also had the frontispiece portrait engraved by Jan Caspar Philips in Amsterdam after a painting by Jan Abel Wassenbergh in Groningen.
The work not only gives us our best view of Sytzamas talents in their formative stage; it also provides much insight into her early life and circle of friends. Well over half the book is taken up by preliminaries, including the poem about the frontispiece by J.L.Z. Fockens, dedications to a prince and two princesses of Orange, the anonymous note to the reader, its appendix with genealogies of the House of Orange by her older brother Pico Galenus van Sytzama, and laudatory verses in Dutch, Latin and German (the latter set in fraktur) by about twenty different authors, male and female. Many of these were her or her brothers school friends. Her governess Frederika Alida Tegeneus, whom she adored, contributed one as well. Another signed "J.C." is certainly by her tutor Justus Conring (ca. 1725?-1748). He and Sytzama fell in love, but were not allowed to marry: her family was noble and fervently supported the "Orangist" party, at strife with the "Patriots" whom his non-noble family supported. His longing for her supposedly hastened his death from Tuberculosis, which she mourned in verse. She overcame her grief, however, and married Isaac Reinder, Baron of Raesfelt. She continued to write and publish poetry to her death, and became one of the most celebrated Dutch women poets.
The present binding was made by the so-called Groningen Bird Bindery, of which only a small number of bindings are known. It was active from at least 1744 to 1748 (possibly 1717 to 1766) and produced "attractive pieces" (Storm van Leeuwen). The present binding is richly gold-tooled with dozens of stamps and rolls assembled to make a panel design. The most distinctive is a hunting roll (9 x 127 mm), which shows a vine with (from left to right) a fox, dog, stag, hare and a different dog, all running from right to left. Storm van Leeuwen includes a virtually identical binding in his work, which was presented to the Dutch Stadholder Willem IV, and is now kept in the KB National Library in The Hague. The present binding must therefore have been a presentation copy as well, possibly intended for either Willem's mother or sister, to whom the work is dedicated.
The present copy was auctioned with the library of J.F.L. Coenen van s-Gravesloot (De Vries 3-6 November 1918, lot 909) where it brought the then princely sum of 80 1/2 guilders. It did not come from Coenen van s-Gravensloots library, however, and no earlier owner has been identified, but, according to Storm van Leeuwen, it may very well be the copy that was owned by Antiquariaat Elte.
The spine is somewhat worn, the lower outer corner of the back board is bumped. Only an occasional very minor smudge or stain on the leaves. Otherwise a beautiful presentation copy in very good condition. STCN 151265836 (6 copies); not in KVK; WorldCat; cf. on the author: S. Anema, Een vergeten dichteres uit de 18e eeuw (1921); NNBW IV, cols. 1110-11 and NNBW V, cols. 868-872; on the binding: Storm van Leeuwen, DDB IIB, p. 964-70, incl. a colour plate of this binding (between pp. 952-953).