28 museomag   01 ‘ 2017 
a photo shoot under high 
surveillanCe 
a preCious book donated to the musÉe dräi eeChelen by the friends 
of the art and history museums, is photographed from every angle 
For each shot, photographer and restorer must find the best inclination to naturally achieve the best shot without damaging the 
paper or the casing. 
© 
éric 
chenal 
Thanks to the patronage of The Friends of the Art and 
History Museums, the Musée Dräi Eechelen acquired 
a particularly valuable book published in 1596. The 
Novice of Leone Belgico eiusque topographica atque 
historica descriptione liber of Michael Aitzinger is one 
of the books most sought after by historians and lovers 
of antiquarian books. The book presents a detailed 
description of the events that happened in our region 
between 1555 and 1595, during the revolt of the Spanish 
Netherlands, thanks to 237 double engraved pages 
and six medallion portraits of the governors. In order 
to acquire a detailed knowledge and to study these 
etchings with a thousand details, it was imperative to 
photograph them and thus manipulate the original 
book as little as possible. 
However, to carry out a photo session of a finely gilded 
and over 500-year-old-book with delicate bindings 
one does not improvise! Neither does the old paper 
appreciate long exposures to light, nor must the 
bound pages be forced open. And for each page, the 
photographer must find a different solution and play 
with a mirror to obtain the best lighting through its 
reflections. This book is certainly a lazy model but 
has so much to say! Indeed, besides engravings and 
portraits, it contains an even more precious treasure 
(and even more challenging to photograph): a lion! 
Michael Aitzinger was the first to represent the 
map of the Seventeen Provinces of the Habsburg 
Netherlands in the form of a lion. This Leo Belgicus 
has become a «must» of cartography and its copies 
are highly appreciated by collectors. It is even more 
rare and valuable to be able to acquire this map 
within a complete book. However, when it is time to 
photograph it, it is necessary to hold one’s breath and 
to work with the utmost dexterity. 
Several etchings represent a key figure in the history 
of Luxembourg: Pierre-Ernest de Mansfeld (1517- 
1604). These images unveil details and make us literally 
witness scenes, such as the arrest of the Counts of 
Egmont and of Hornes by the Duke of Alba in 1567, 
or the assassination of William of Orange in 1584, as 
well as relive the ceremony during which Mansfeld 
bestowed the prestigious chain of the Order of the 
Golden Fleece to Alexander Farnese after the surrender 
of Antwerp in 1585. 
Thanks to this special photo shoot, all the engravings 
of the book - and its precious Leo – are now available 
and can be studied by historians without having to 
use the precious original, which can remain in optimal 
conservation conditions in one of the museum’s safe. 
Cécile Arnould