Verklaring van De overwinning van de Schilderkunst over de Dood (deel drie) c. 1660

This is a page from Verklaring van De overwinning van de Schilderkunst over de Dood (deel drie) by Henrik Jordis, created in the Netherlands, although its date is unknown. The text describes how the art of painting triumphs over death. The writing itself is beautiful, evoking earlier traditions of illuminated manuscripts. The description speaks of symbolic objects and figures, such as a child sitting with dragons and parrots, and a figure standing on a stone next to a book. The themes remind us of the important role of the Dutch Republic in the 17th century as an intellectual centre and a place of increasing secularisation. The text is asserting the value of earthly art forms such as painting, against the certainty of death and the power of religion. Art historians can shed light on these complex images. By researching the symbolic traditions of the time, they can explain what the imagery meant to people then. Art, after all, doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s always a product of particular social conditions.