Emiel van Heurck
Emiel van Heurck, illustration by Edward Pellens
Emiel van Heurck, illustration by Edward Pellens
Born(1871-01-10)10 January 1871
Antwerp
Died30 July 1931(1931-07-30) (aged 60)
Resting placeSchoonselhof cemetery
OccupationFolklorist
NationalityBelgian
SubjectReligiousity
Notable worksHistoire de l'imagerie populaire
Notable awardsKnight in the Order of Leopold
RelativesHenri van Heurck

Emiel Henri van Heurck (10 January 1871 – 30 July 1931) was a Belgian folklorist. He published on religiosity, most notably on pilgrimage and holy cards.[1]

Biography

Van Heurck was born on 10 January 1871,[2] in Antwerp, to a Francophone family. His father, Henri van Heurck (1839–1909), was a renowned botanist who wanted his son to follow in his (scientific) footsteps. Emiel, however, was more interested in journalism and writing and particularly in Belgian folklore. He suffered from depression, and never finished his engineering studies, taking a day job in an office where his lack of diploma prevented his advancement.[3]

He studied folklore nightly, he said, from 7:30 to 11:30,[3] and he maintained a connection to the Volkskundemuseum in Antwerp. With Gerrit Jacob Boekenoogen (1868–1930) he published three volumes on popular imagery,[4] including Histoire de l'imagerie populaire Flamande (1910).[5] In 1930 they published a companion volume on Dutch imagery, Histoire de l'imagerie des Pays-Bas.[4] Van Heurck also collected such prints and images.[6]

Van Heurck was on intimate terms with Belgian writer Julius Pée (1871–1951) from 1893 to 1896, when the friendship was disturbed for unknown reasons, until an exchange of letters in 1930, not long before Van Heurck's death. Pée was a scholar of the Dutch author Multatuli;[3] Van Heurck shared this interest, having translated Multatuli's work into French for Mercure de France,[7] and the story "La sainte vierge" for Le Spectateur catholique.[8] He was made a knight in the Order of Leopold,[9] and died on 30 July 1931, after a long and painful illness.[2] He is buried at Schoonselhof cemetery.[10]

Notable titles

  • Histoire de l'imagerie populaire (Brussels 1910, Paris 1930)
  • Les drapelets de pélérinage (Antwerp 1922)
  • Voyage autour de ma bibliothèque (1927)
  • Les images de dévotion anversoises du XVle au XIXe siècle (1930)

References

  1. ↑ Boyadjian, N. (1986). From Holy Pictures...to the healing Saints; Faith and the Heart. Antwerp: Esco.
  2. 1 2 "Emile H. van Heurck". Nederlandsch Tijdschrift voor Volkskunde (in Dutch). 36: 175–82. 1931.
  3. 1 2 3 Vermoortel, Philip (2010). "Max Lebakman: kampioen van Nederlands eersten schrijver; Julius Pée en Multatuli" (PDF) (in Dutch). KU Leuven. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  4. 1 2 Anrooij, Wim van; Hogenelst, Dini; Warnar, Geert (2003). Der vaderen boek: beoefenaren van de studie der Middelnederlandse letterkunde: studies voor Frits van Oostrom ter gelegenheid van diens vijftigste verjaardag (in Dutch). Amsterdam UP. p. 171. ISBN 9789053566411.
  5. ↑ L. C. (1911). "Reviews: Histoire de l'imagerie populaire flamande". Burlington Magazine. p. 63. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  6. ↑ Simons, Ludo (2013). Het boek in Vlaanderen sinds 1800 een cultuurgeschiedenis (in Dutch). Lannoo Meulenhoff. p. 45. ISBN 9789401408394.
  7. ↑ Keats-Rohan, K. S. B. (2007). Prosopography Approaches and Applications: A Handbook. Occasional Publications UPR. p. 595. ISBN 9781900934121.
  8. ↑ Vermoortel, Philip (2014). "Julius Pee en zijn held Multatuli". In Vincent Stolk (ed.). Jaarboek Multatuli 2014 (in Dutch). Rudy Schreijnders, Klaartje Groot. Hilversum: Verloren. pp. 19–43. ISBN 9789087044855.
  9. ↑ "Emiel van Heurck". De Brabantsche Folklore (in Dutch). 11 (61): 5–10. September 1931.
  10. ↑ "Van Heurck Emile" (in Dutch). Schoonselhof cemetery. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
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