900/​138

Historic "Album Amicorum"

Friendship album for student Michaelis Johannis [Mikkel Hansen], later priest in Nr. Broager, Funen. Fragment. June 1641 to September 1642, in Copenhagen, Odense, Amsterdam and Paris. Oblong 8vo. With 16 (of 45) autograph contributions from important people of the time, incl. Mikkel Hansen's opening of the album: “Cemmata Philotheca Michaelis Johannis Othoniani”.

The 15 entries preserved here are by Christen Thomesen Sehested (Chancellor), Christian Stougaard (Professor at Copenhagen University), Ole Worm (Professor in runic inscriptions), Ole Vind (Priest to the Royal Court), Hans Svane (Mayor), Wichmann Hasebard (Bishop of Viborg and former teacher for Leonora Christine), P. Spormand (Professor at Copenhagen University), Christian Wind (Odense), Christian Severin Longomontanus (Professor of Astronomy at Copenhagen University – student and assistant to Tycho Brahe), Holger Rosenkrantz, Christian Schultz (MD), Jens P. Vinding (Teacher of theology at the upper secondary school in Odense), Søren Terkelsen (translator and customs officer in Glückstad), Christen Skeel from Gl. Estrup (‘the rich’) Amsterdam, Aug, Jean Weeldan (Paris).

The rest of the autographs are known today from a manuscript located in the Royal Danish Library (collection: Kall 130), where a later relative of Hansen transcribed the entire book around the year 1800. Bound in later full leather, housed in box (FP).

The term ‘Album Amicorum’ is today perceived mostly as a kind of friendship book. However, in the latter part of the Renaissance, it was an important album for the young students who received financial support to travel abroad. With such an album, they could provide some sort of documentation of how well their trip had gone and which important people they had met along their way.

The ‘Album Amicorum’ was acquired by Professor George Steven for his autograph collection and was probably divided up by him. Passed on from the Professor to his relatives at Huseby Castle in Sweden, from where it has been sold at auction after the death of the last Miss Steven in the 1980s.

Literature: Vello Helk: Stambogsskikken i det danske monarki indtil 1800. Odense 2001. + Flemming Pedersen. ”2 stambøger”.

Provenance: Flemming Erik Pedersen (1931–2020).

Auction

Paintings, furniture, carpets, decorative arts and books, 8 March 2021

Category
Estimate

15,000–20,000 DKK

Sold

Price realised

10,000 DKK