Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex, Belgium

Home and workshop of the greatest printer-publisher of the 16th century: Christophe Plantin

Entrance to the museum on the Vrijdagmarkt (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

Welcome to the Plantin-Moretus Museum. This was the home and workplace of Christophe Plantin and the Moretus family. For 300 years, books were the heart and soul of this place, and they continue to be so today.

The 16th-century style Plantin-Moretus garden (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005, the Plantin-Moretus Museum was the first museum to receive this recognition, thanks to its unique existence as a prestigious patrician mansion, a centuries-old workshop and – for more than 125 years – an outstanding museum. 

Not to mention the fact that it houses a virtually intact business archive dating back to 1555, which is separately inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World register.

Family portraits painted by Peter Paul Rubens (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

A visit to the museum starts in the small drawing room, where the luxurious art cabinet seen in the picture can be found. It was used to store small, valuable objects such as jewels, coins or exotic items. 

View from the small drawing room onto the large drawing room (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

This elegant room also contains portraits, painted by family friend Peter Paul Rubens, of forefather Christophe Plantin and his wife, Jeanne Rivière, and of other family and close friends, all fitting the aristocratic style of decoration that was adopted by the Moretus family. 

The original bookshop, where the books published by the Officina Plantiniana were sold (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

This was the bookshop where the family’s publishing company, the Officina Plantiniana, sold its books. Historically, books were sold without bindings- you had to go to a bookbinder for this service.

The original bookshop (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

Plantin dispatched orders and deliveries from here. Some of the works he published were even on the Catholic Church’s Index of Prohibited Books.

Busts adorn the façades of the house (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

The inner courtyard was already considered to be spectacular back in its day, and was visited by royalty. The façades are adorned with busts of the publishing company’s managers and the garden is still planted according to what would have been popular in the 16th century.

Sundial in the inner courtyard (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

Plantin himself would certainly recognize the plants that can be found in the garden today. He also owned a garden on the outskirts of the city and was friends with some of the most prominent botanists of his time.

Plantin’s office (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

In this office, the manager wrote letters, kept the books and counted his money. The gold leather wall coverings were a luxury product, adorned with patterns in relief to which silver leaf and yellow varnish were applied. 

A tradesman’s weighing scale (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

Tradesmen always had their own weighing scale and a coin book, where they could look up the value of both their own and foreign coins. The value of a coin was determined by the amount of precious metal it contained.

The guest room, named the Lipsius Room by the family (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

This was the guest room, which the Moretus family called the Lipsius Room. Justus Lipsius (1547-1606), who was one of the best-known humanists of his time, stayed at the house often. 

The Four Philosophers, copy of the painting by Peter Paul Rubens (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

The painting above the chimney depicts a typical humanist scene: Lipsius – wearing a fur collar – is explaining a classic text to two of his pupils, and the painter, Peter Paul Rubens, is looking on. The painting also features a bust of the Roman philosopher, Seneca.

Correctors were scholars who spoke multiple languages. They would sit at the table near the window and carefully read the proofs made between the process of typesetting and the actual printing. They were assisted by a lector, who would read the proof out loud while they worked.

The printing room (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

The printing room was the heart of the business: the type cases were stored on one side, and the printing presses on the other.

A type case containing lead letters (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

The typesetters would take the lead letters out of the type case and assemble them into a forme, which would then be placed into a press and inked. Some 2,500 pages would be printed each day.

The oldest surviving printing presses in the world (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

The printing room contains the two oldest surviving printing presses in the world. They are more than 400 years old, so it is quite possible that Plantin himself saw them at work.

The foundry (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

Although the casting of typefaces was usually contracted out to specialised firms, Balthasar I Moretus installed his own type foundry on the premises. Each typeface was given its own name in the 16th century, often being named after the designer.

Molten lead was poured into these matrices to create fonts (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

Plantin was very careful about obtaining the right typeface and used more exclusive fonts from French designers, such as Garamont (inventor of the "Garamond" font) and Granjon, in order to outdo his local competitors.

Staircase leading up from a checkerboard floor (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

Plantin’s story continues on the second floor of the museum. As founder of one of the largest publishing-printing companies of the time, Plantin mainly printed religious and humanist works.

Map of Antwerp, the adopted hometown of historian Lodovico Guicciardini (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

The location of the Officina Plantiniana in Antwerp was no accident - during the 16th and 17th centuries, scholars from the Low Countries played a significant role in the development of Western thinking.

Plantin printed books in several languages (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, many learned refugees arrived in Europe with their books and their knowledge of Greek and other languages. This resulted in a surge in the study of languages.

Plantin’s son-in-law Raphelengius was particularly interested in languages - he spoke Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac and Arabic. 

The first comparative dictionary of the Dutch language, by Cornelis Kiliaan (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

And Cornelis Kiliaan, a proofreader at the Officina Plantiniana, was the first scholar to practice the comparative study of language in Europe, with his work on the first dictionary of the Dutch language.

Map of the world by the inventor of the modern atlas, Abraham Ortelius (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

There were several different approaches to science in the 16th century. Cartographer Mercator and mathematician Gemma Frisius believed in a cosmographical approach, where the world could be classified and understood in relation to divine creation. 

These woodblock prints were used to illustrate scientific publications (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

Mathematician Stevin and botanist Dodoens approached science from an empirical angle: they experimented and enumerated data. 

Anatomical engraving on a copper plate (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

Plantin used woodblocks or engravings to add beautiful illustrations to his scientific publications. His collection was extensive – the museum takes care of nearly 6,000 copperplates and 14,000 woodblocks today!

The library (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

Balthasar I Moretus and subsequent generations of the family collected books out of personal interest. This resulted in a private library with a humanist character: high shelves, lecterns, busts and globes.

In 1692, the Moretus family received the title of esquire. This was a title which demanded an appropriate lifestyle, as exemplified by this luxurious drawing room featuring French gold leather, porcelain carrying the family crest, a clock in Louis XV style and family portraits.

The 12-meter-long funerary procession of Emperor Charles V (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

The media was a much-feared weapon in the rebellious Netherlands of the 16th century. Ideas and news traveled fast, and the political pamphlet played an essential role in life. Around 8% of Plantin’s overall production was commissioned by various political authorities. 

Detail from the funerary procession (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

Although it was widely accepted that reading was a dangerous activity for both men and women, books were increasingly affordable and available. The Bible was a bestseller, as were song books, almanacs and travel stories.

Religious works (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

Plantin’s library contains many notable religious works, including the 36-line Gutenberg bible, and the Biblia Regia, an 8-volume polyglot bible which weighs 48 kg (including bindings), and is comprised of 1,788 sheets of paper.

The 8-volume polyglot bible, pictured in the centre (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

Plantin printed a total of 1,200 copies of the Biblia Regia polyglot bible, as seen in the centre of this photo, for customers such as the King of Spain, the Pope and other influential individuals.

Illustration of Robbery in the Woods attributed to Peeter Baltens (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

The museum also has a world-class collection of prints and drawings which is kept in the Prentenkabinet, or Print Room. The pieces in the collection range from works by masters of the 16th and 17th century Antwerp School to modern works from after 1800.

Lost illustration by Rubens of the Opticorum libri sex, commissioned by the Moretus family (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

Containing more than 100,000 objects, the Prentenkabinet is one of the top 50 most important print rooms in the world. 

The collection continues to grow today as a result of regular donations and acquisitions, and selected works are often displayed in temporary exhibitions.

The archives of the museum (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

The invaluable business archives of the Officina Plantiniana are inscribed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World register of documentary heritage and currently contain 1,382 registers, 990 bundles, 187 packages and more than 1,385 pieces of text on parchment.

The archives of the museum (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

The 160 metres of archives which can be found at the museum contain the books of the commercial accounts, correspondence with a number of world-renowned scholars and humanists, and historical testimonies to the world of work and commerce.

Visitors consult documents in the reading room (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

The museum’s vast collections require space and climate-controlled repositories to ensure optimal conservation. In 2008, a new wing was built, with a reading room where it is possible to consult the various printed works, manuscripts and drawings in the museums’s archives.

The modern façade of the reading room (2005) by Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum ComplexUNESCO World Heritage

In this way, the museum stimulates research into the collection, which is also completely digitalised, so that it can easily be studied by international institutions, specialists, students and the general public alike.

Credits: Story

This exhibit was created by the Museum Plantin-Moretus: museumplantinmoretus.be/en

More on the Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex and World Heritage: whc.unesco.org/en/list/1185

Photos: LUCID, Ans Brys, Filip Dujardin, Victoriano Moreno, Frederik Beyens, Sigrid Spinnox.

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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