Cartouche met bovenaan twee honden op het rolwerk 1569

This print, made by Johannes or Lucas van Doetechum, presents a cartouche adorned with dogs and scrollwork. It reflects the printmaking boom of the 16th and 17th centuries in the Netherlands. The image is a complex interplay of text and ornament. The cartouche, a decorative frame, surrounds lettering that displays upper and lower case alphabets. The design incorporates playful motifs of dogs and scrollwork, reflecting a culture that valued both artistic skill and refined taste. The inclusion of Latin phrases offers a glimpse into the educational norms and humanist ideals that circulated in intellectual circles. The print's function lies at the intersection of art and commerce. Produced in a print shop, its purpose was likely to serve as a model for other artisans, demonstrating the latest styles in lettering and ornamentation. In the absence of copyright laws, printmakers played a crucial role in disseminating visual ideas. To understand the role of prints like these, we can turn to archives of printmakers and collections of pattern books, to reconstruct the social life of images in the early modern period.