Two luxuriously printed and bound copies of "Ter bruyloft van Mejuffrou A: C: Steenbergen / den heer Joa: Kriek: [names on upper cover], geviert in Amsterdam den 2: October MDCCLXXXII [lower cover]", poems composed by Joannes & Hermanus STEENBERGEN, brothers of the bride.

Lge 4to: [8] ff.

Contemp. richly gold-tooled red morocco, covers with rocaille ornamental frames and borders with central gilt title, gilt flat spine, gilt sides, a.e.g., gold endpapers with wide white and coloured (green, pink) silk ties. Mint copies.

Unique copies, one for the bride, one for the groom. Poems by relatives for the wedding of Anna Christina Steenbergen (Amsterdam, 1763-1821) and Joannes Kriek (Waardhuijsen 1759 - Amsterdam 1795), affluent Amsterdam Catholics.
Extremely richly decorated: gilt half-title "Bruilofts-zangen"; gilt title with imprint in gold, red and black; large title-engraving by C. Bogerts after Crajenschot, hand-coloured in red, green, blue and gold; gilt coloured engraved tail-piece; names of bride and groom printed in gold. Loosely inserted coloured calligraphic cards for "Mejufvrou Bruid" and "Den Heer Bruidegom".
The splendid bindings most probably made by the Wedding Poems Bindery, active at Amsterdam or Utrecht in the years 1781-1790 - see J. Storm van Leeuwen, Dutch decorated bookbinding in the eighteenth century, I:689-692.
Ref. Not in STCN (has over 500 Crajenschot titles, but only 1 of 1782). - Not in KB Den Haag, UB Leiden, UB Amsterdam, WorldCat etc.