Hanger met vierkante steen 1550 - 1587

Abraham de Bruyn created this engraving of a pendant with a square stone sometime between 1550 and 1587. The immediate impression is one of ornate symmetry, where a square form is enveloped by swirling organic patterns. Look closely at the interplay between the geometric and the organic. The central square, rendered with sharp, precise lines, is framed by an elaborate display of flora and fauna. Birds perch amidst stylized flowers and fruits, all meticulously detailed through fine, controlled lines. The square stone, with its defined edges, provides a stark contrast to the fluid lines of the surrounding ornamentation. The symmetry in this work is not merely decorative; it is structural. By balancing these contrasting forms around a central axis, De Bruyn creates a visual tension that invites closer inspection. The geometric and the organic—a duality that speaks to broader philosophical concerns about nature and artifice in the Renaissance. This symmetry is not static, but dynamic, inviting us to consider the complex relationship between form and function, order and chaos.