Lijsten en vierkant ornament 1798 - 1839

This print by Gottfried Engelmann showcases a variety of ornamental designs, each rich with symbolic echoes of the past. Consider the palmette motifs, stylized like the fan of a palm tree, that are present in the rectangular ornaments. This motif, born in ancient Egypt and Greece, once symbolized victory and eternity. Think of its earlier appearance on Greek pottery and then later on Renaissance friezes. Over time, the palmette has become a symbol of cultural memory, its cyclical recurrence demonstrating a collective unconscious reaching back through the ages. Now, the square ornament, divided into contrasting light and dark halves, echoes the ancient concepts of duality and balance—yin and yang, light and shadow. This symbolic dance of opposites evokes primal emotional responses. These patterns are not merely decorative; they are carriers of cultural memory, surfacing and evolving through time in an unending rhythm.