Drukkersmerk van Johannes van Meurs by Cornelis Galle I

Drukkersmerk van Johannes van Meurs after 1631

0:00
0:00

graphic-art, print, engraving

# 

graphic-art

# 

allegory

# 

baroque

# 

print

# 

old engraving style

# 

engraving

Dimensions: height 133 mm, width 169 mm

Copyright: Rijks Museum: Open Domain

Cornelis Galle I created this printer's mark for Johannes van Meurs, likely around the early 17th century, using engraving. These marks served as a publisher's emblem, a visual stamp of quality and a promise of reliable content. The imagery here is rich with meaning. We see a hen sitting on her nest, watched over by an owl and a rooster, symbols of night and day. Above, a lamp burns, and at the base are tools associated with Mercury, the Roman god of commerce and communication. The inscription, 'Incubando nocti divoque', suggests vigilance and productivity, working day and night. In the context of the Dutch Golden Age, a period of burgeoning trade and intellectual curiosity, the printer was a crucial figure. They were the gatekeepers of knowledge. Galle's engraving elevates the printer's role, linking it to classical virtues and divine oversight. To fully appreciate this image, one might delve into the history of printing in Leiden, where Johannes van Meurs was based. Research into emblem books and the symbolic language of the period would further illuminate the cultural values embedded in this small but potent image.

Show more

Comments

No comments

Be the first to comment and join the conversation on the ultimate creative platform.