Titelpagina voor: Pieter Huisinga Bakker, 'Poëzy', 1773 1773

This is Reinier Vinkeles’s title page for Pieter Huisinga Bakker’s ‘Poëzy,’ made in 1773. The print, rendered in delicate lines, encapsulates the 18th-century Dutch pursuit of enlightenment ideals through art and literature. The artwork features allegorical figures in a tranquil, wooded setting. A seated poet engages with two standing female figures. One holds a plan, perhaps representing artistic composition, while the other, adorned with a helmet, could symbolize wisdom or the muse of epic poetry. Consider the role of poetry during the Enlightenment: it was seen as a tool for moral and intellectual improvement. This image reflects the period's emphasis on reason and knowledge, combined with a classical aesthetic. But also reflects the position of poets, like Bakker, in society and the type of classical imagery they needed to use to have their work recognized.