Renaissance and Humanism

Mundus Inversus in a Chained Library

During the years that Leiden University maintained a chained library (1595-1653) the books were placed on the shelves upside-down. Read here why.

Prints, Drawings and Portraits

Naked putti

Naked putti are everywhere in art. Where did they come from?

Early Printed and Rare Books · Exhibitions

A Leiden Utopia in Leuven

The edition of Thomas More's Utopia printed in Hoorn 1630 aimed at protestant readers; ‘catholic’ elements were weakened or removed.

Early Printed and Rare Books

Erasmus’ New Testament edition of 1516

The new translation immediately met with great enthusiasm and vehement opposition.

Prints, Drawings and Portraits

The 1610 Engravings of Leiden University: Botanical Garden

The engraving of the Botanical Garden is one in a series of four, the other three depicting the Anatomical Theatre, the University Library and the Fencing School.

Manuscripts, Archives and Letters

Signed in blood by P.C. Hooft

On 27 August 1627 Pieter Cornelisz Hooft wrote a heartrending letter to Heleonora Hellemans, the widow of Jan Baptist Bartolotti van den Heuvel.

Prints, Drawings and Portraits

Jupiter presenting his daughter Hebe to Hercules

After a ceiling painting by Charles Le Brun in Hôtel Lambert, Paris. The hotel is registered on the UNESCO World Heritage list. In the night of 9 to 10 July 2013, a disastrous fire partly devastated the property.

Manuscripts, Archives and Letters

Huygens in Leiden: the house rules of landlord Paravicino

Constantijn Huygens received the regulations in a letter dated 26 May 1645. Were they disputed by his sons Constantijn Jr and Christiaan, who were students in Leiden and rented rooms at Paravicino’s?

Early Printed and Rare Books

425 years Leiden University Library: from Vaulted Room to ‘the cloud’

On October 31, 1587 Leiden university created its first library room, in the Academy Building at Rapenburg.