Ship Captain’s Almanac and Notebook from the Delft chamber of the VOC

A devotional VOC almanac/notebook of the Dutch East India Company with VOC-D monogram. The Almanac is for the year 1794 and, therefore, the printing and binding date was 1793.

VOC notebooks were prestigious items that served as business gifts for relations of VOC directors. Because these notebooks were also awarded to VOC captains and commanders for courage or outstanding achievements, these are also referred to as VOC captain’s books. VOC notebooks like this are of great rarity as each year the chambers Delft and Rotterdam jointly commissioned only eight copies of this notebook to be supplied by famous silversmith Dirck van Hengel and Company in Amsterdam.

The notebooks start with an almanac and calendar, with detailed information on tides, sunrise and sunset, phases of the moon and the stars, schedules for stagecoaches, mail coaches, and so on. The remainder of the contents is empty pages to make notes, but these are blank in all known examples, because these were considered not a utensil, but a jewellery showpiece.

The binding is made of seal skin, possibly sharkskin, and decorated with silverwork clasps and a silver plate of an East Indiaman with VOC sign under full sail both on the front and on the back. It has a silver pen (“stylus”), which slides through rings in order to close the book.