Prospectus van 'De negentiende eeuw in woord en beeld' van uitgeverij A.W. Sijthoff te Leiden 1899

This is a prospectus by Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries, printed in blue ink. Its bi-columnar structure and the muted color palette give the work a striking yet serene quality. The linear design, typical of Art Nouveau, integrates text with symbolic imagery. Note how the symmetry is carefully balanced; the figure at the center with a raised sword, flanked by columns filled with emblems such as a caduceus, a Masonic square and compasses, and stylized floral motifs. These symbols function semiotically, referencing ideas of knowledge, progress, and perhaps hidden esoteric meanings. De Vries’s composition uses the visual language of symbolism to invite the viewer into a world where the aesthetic and the intellectual converge. This prospectus functions not merely as an advertisement but as a symbolic gateway to the cultural and philosophical currents of the nineteenth century.