Titelblad voor: Grondteekeningen van het Gebouw ((...)) Felix Meritis 1789 - 1799

This is the title page to a set of architectural drawings, printed in Amsterdam, probably in the late 18th century, by Cornelis Sebille Roos. The text refers to the building of the Felix Meritis Society, which translates as "happy through merit". This Society was founded in 1777, during the Enlightenment, by a group of Amsterdam citizens who wanted to promote science, art, and culture. The building, completed in 1788, became a symbol of Enlightenment ideals. The design of the title page, with its clear typography and balanced layout, reflects the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason and order. The use of both Dutch and French indicates the Society's cosmopolitan outlook and its desire to engage with intellectual currents across Europe. To truly understand this image, we might turn to archival records of the Felix Meritis Society, architectural treatises of the period, and studies of Enlightenment culture in the Netherlands. Only then can we appreciate the rich social and intellectual context in which this image was created.