Ornament met bazuinen en bladranken 1597 - 1667

This ornament with trumpets and foliage was made by Christoffel van Sichem the Younger. It is a woodcut, a relief printing technique popular in the Netherlands in the 17th Century where the artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood, leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. This process allowed for the relatively inexpensive production of decorative borders that were used to frame and illustrate books, and to ornament important documents. The braying horns that flank a symmetrical palmette design evoke a sense of heraldry. The image speaks to the growing merchant and middle class of the Dutch Golden Age. The rise of publishing and the expansion of literacy created a demand for inexpensive printed material, influencing social mobility. Studying printing techniques, their economic impact, and their aesthetic qualities helps art historians understand the institutions through which art and information circulated in the 17th century.