Album amicorum of Johannes van Amstel van Mijnden
f. 158r: N.N., [Leiden, ca. 1600]
The imagery in alba amicorum does not imitate everyday reality, but is very formal: coats of arms, costume images and emblematic representations predominate. The anonymous painting in the album of Johannes van Amstel van Mijnden from Utrecht is therefore very special. He enrolled as a law student at Leiden University on 6 September 1600 at the age of 22.
Johannes faced a cold but cheerful winter, as the caption indicates: 'Dear viewer, this drawing shows you the Dutch university and shows how the student crowd is doing its utmost when the wintry north-westerly wind makes it impossible to cut through the Dietse water with the ship of the Dionaean goddess'. The image is timeless, but we no longer encounter the ladies' impractical clothing on the ice today.
What the anonymous artist could not have imagined is that his painting now has an important documentary added value. To the right of the academy gate was the shop of the official academy printer, at that time Lodewijk Elsevier. This picture is the only known image of his business so far.
The album is not only rich in contributions from Leiden university luminaries such as Vulcanius, Merula, Vorstius and Lipsius, but also amply provided with genre scenes, weapons, costume images and a few portrait engravings.
Album amicorum of Johannes van Amstel van Mijnden. Ca. 75 contributions, 1600-1602, Netherlands, Belgium, France. Request number: 74 J 37
