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In 2018, UNamur's Moretus Plantin University Library was entrusted with the collection of bibliophile and bookbinder Pierre Mouriau de Meulenacker. This collection of almost 400 volumes is consistent with the many works relating to Prince Charles-Joseph de Ligne already present at the BUMP.
Rare copies and modern editions
Among this collection, some copies are extremely rare, such as the 4 volumes of the Recueil des pièces de l'Hermitage, printed by order of Empress Catherine II of Russia, whose court Charles-Joseph de Ligne frequented in St. Petersburg. This collection brings together plays composed by the empress and her intimates as part of her society theater. Their publication was intended solely for authors and performers, among them the Prince de Ligne.
In addition to the precious books making up this collection, modern editions and contemporary studies provide new bibliographic guidance on the Prince, but also on subjects dear to this emblematic figure of the 18th century. In particular, we find the entire collection of Annales and Nouvelles Annales Prince de Ligne.
Pierre Mouriau de Meulenaker
Member of the Société royale des bibliophiles et des iconophiles de Belgique, Pierre Mouriau de Meulenacker is also the founder of the Groupe d'études lignistes and a specialist in 18th-century publishing. He has himself published numerous studies devoted in particular to typographical ornamentation, and has presided over the editing of the Annales Prince de Ligne since their inception in 1986.