The entire Luyken Collection of the Amsterdam Museum can be viewed on these web pages and encompasses more than 12,000 loose prints (including some text fragments taken from books), some 1150 drawings and about 1000 volumes. The collection was originally compiled by Christiaan Pieter van Eeghen. One of the ways Van Eeghen built up his collection was to acquire other Luyken collections in their entirety or in part and add these to his own already large collection.

Together, the Luykens made almost 4,500 different prints as illustrations for at least 500 different books. The collection features at least one copy of almost every print, be it a loose print or a book illustration. This does not apply to the drawings - assuming that a preparatory sketch existed for every print. A few of the book titles are also missing. Wherever possible, the existing gaps in the collection are still being filled.

Prints

Most loose prints originate directly from books. Regularly, details were altered in existing prints so that they could be used in other books. This system yields a new state or version of such a print. To indicate the state of the print Christiaan van Eeghen, who initiated the collection, often saved also the title page and other pages of the related book. In addition, the Luyken Collection includes a number of printer’s proofs.

Drawings

With a few exceptions, all the drawings are preparatory studies for book illustrations. However, a final print for each and every drawing has not been found. The Luyken Collection includes both sketches and finished drawings. Whether or not they were made probably depended on whether the drawer himself or somebody else was going to engrave the copperplate. In some cases there are two – usually totally different – preparatory studies for a particular print. One of these was eventually chosen to be engraved.

Books

Because of the books’ numbered editions, it is possible to date the various states/versions of the prints. The many editions – and copies or imitations of the prints – illustrate the huge popularity the Luykens work has enjoyed throughout the centuries. Even now, some books are still being reprinted.

Read more about collector Christiaan Pieter van Eeghen