Medieval love stories and morality in text and image: 'Der minnen loep' by Dirc Potter

The Dutch poet Dirc Potter (1370-1428) aimed to teach men and women about morality in his love treatise 'Der minnen loep'. His ideas about love were innovative and kind of unusual at the time, which is only one of many reasons why it deserves a closer look.

Guest author • April 19, 2022

Imagining a garden: Lu Zichang’s map of the Prospect Garden

曹雪芹 Cao Xueqin’s 18th-century magnum opus, 紅樓夢 'Honglou meng' or 'Dream of the Red Chamber' remains one of China’s most loved classics. One edition from the UBL Special Collections was recently digitised and the map of the garden that it contains preserved. What makes this map so fascinating?

Guest author • March 22, 2022

'The human life consists in vigilance'. The network of Johannes de Laet

Professional and personal correspondence as well as Album Amicorum entries reveal who Johannes de Laet was, who his contacts and peers were and how he wanted to be viewed in the learned and public sphere.

Guest author • January 18, 2022

Signed 北京: 周培春畫 Beijing: Zhou Peichun hua – Chinese paintings for foreign visitors

At the beginning of the 20th century, Chinese painter Zhou Peichun started mass-producing beautiful watercolour paintings depicting life in Beijing. Rosalien van der Poel writes about two of his paintings that were recently restored by textile conservator Sjoukje Telleman.

Guest author • October 26, 2021

The early years of mathematics education at Leiden University (1575-1645)

Leiden University was one of the first universities in Europe to offer a practical mathematics course, taught in vernacular, parallel to a theoretical course. Why was this practical course taught and what did it teach students? The lecture notes of one of its first teachers can tell us a lot.

Guest author • September 28, 2021

'So Crisp and Scenic' - Early Sranan and the Birth of a New Age

The Sranan language, an English-based creole spoken by people of Suriname, has a long and fascinating history and is gaining popularity as a written language. Fresco Sam-Sin talks about the history of Sranan using documents from our Special Collections and by sharing part of his own story.

Guest author • September 01, 2021

An Edict Issued by the Wanli Emperor - Three Students Report on a Ming Dynasty Manuscript

In December 2020 the University Library acquired a Ming edict once in the collection of the Dutch sinologist Robert van Gulik. Three Chinese Studies students report on its restoration and academic relevance.

Guest author • June 08, 2021

A new puzzle piece in the life of Irawan Soejono

At the beginning of the Second World War, a lot of Indonesian students attended university in the Netherlands. One of the best-known Indonesian students is Irawan Soejono. Struck by his story, we discovered new information about his whereabouts and activities during his time as a resistance fighter.

Guest author • May 04, 2021

Brailliant and over the Moon: The Chinese Tactile Collection

Thinking about inclusion is not something new in the world of reading, and the Leiden Special Collections have pieces to prove it. In this blog I want to highlight a collection of 19th century books in the Special Collections aimed at helping the blind in Qing China read their mother tongue.

Guest author • March 23, 2021

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Guest author

Blogs

Medieval love stories and morality in text and image: 'Der minnen loep' by Dirc Potter

Imagining a garden: Lu Zichang’s map of the Prospect Garden

'The human life consists in vigilance'. The network of Johannes de Laet

Signed 北京: 周培春畫 Beijing: Zhou Peichun hua – Chinese paintings for foreign visitors

The early years of mathematics education at Leiden University (1575-1645)

'So Crisp and Scenic' - Early Sranan and the Birth of a New Age

An Edict Issued by the Wanli Emperor - Three Students Report on a Ming Dynasty Manuscript

A new puzzle piece in the life of Irawan Soejono

Brailliant and over the Moon: The Chinese Tactile Collection

Guest author

Blogs

Medieval love stories and morality in text and image: 'Der minnen loep' by Dirc Potter

Imagining a garden: Lu Zichang’s map of the Prospect Garden

'The human life consists in vigilance'. The network of Johannes de Laet

Signed 北京: 周培春 畫 Beijing: Zhou Peichun hua – Chinese paintings for foreign visitors

The early years of mathematics education at Leiden University (1575-1645)

'So Crisp and Scenic' - Early Sranan and the Birth of a New Age

An Edict Issued by the Wanli Emperor - Three Students Report on a Ming Dynasty Manuscript

A new puzzle piece in the life of Irawan Soejono

Brailliant and over the Moon: The Chinese Tactile Collection

Signed 北京: 周培春畫 Beijing: Zhou Peichun hua – Chinese paintings for foreign visitors