Retorica 1587 - 1605

This print, ‘Rhetoric’, was made by Cornelis Drebbel in the Netherlands, sometime in the early 17th century, using etching. We see a beautiful nude woman wearing a laurel wreath, symbolising eloquence, being taught by an older man holding a caduceus, an ancient symbol of rhetoric. The setting and the figures themselves allude to classical learning. The Dutch Republic in this period saw a flourishing of intellectual and artistic life. The University of Leiden was a major centre for humanist scholarship, recovering and disseminating classical knowledge. Figures like Drebbel, who was both an artist and an inventor, were part of a culture that valued ingenuity, education, and civic engagement. Prints like this were not simply decorative; they promoted the importance of rhetoric for a well-rounded citizen. To fully understand this image, we can research the history of Dutch humanism, the symbolism of classical imagery, and the role of prints in disseminating ideas in the early modern period. Art is contingent on its social and institutional context.