This repository contains an archival copy of the Ceneton dataset: a comprehensive census of Dutch-language theatrical works up to the year 1803. Developed and maintained by the Department of Dutch at Leiden University, Ceneton ("Census Nederlands Toneel") is a major scholarly resource documenting over 12,500 plays, including metadata, bibliographic details, and textual editions.
Ceneton includes:
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12,500+ Dutch plays from the 16th to early 19th century
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Detailed bibliographic records including:
- Author and original author
- Title (formal and full)
- Publication info: year, place, printer/publisher
- Genre, number of acts, list of characters
- Performance setting: place and time
- Incipits and transcribed title pages
- Fingerprints and collations for bibliographic identification
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First editions and reprints — some printed over 100 times
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Facsimiles and full texts of 1,300+ plays
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A listing of holdings from over 40 European libraries
The original dataset is provided in a FileMaker Pro format. This repository preserves an export of the FileMaker Pro to XML for long-term accessibility and archival purposes.
⚠️ Note: The full dataset includes features not visible on the public website, such as detailed cast lists, performance metadata, and bibliographic comparisons. These are accessible only through the FileMaker database or the XML extracts here.
The project was led by A.J.E. Harmsen at Leiden University. Ceneton has been supported by the Gratama Foundation and is cited in scholarly and journalistic work on Dutch literary digitization.
This archival dataset is provided for academic and research use. Attribution should be given to the original maintainers at Leiden University.
For questions, corrections, or extended access, contact: a.j.e.harmsen@hum.leidenuniv.nl