Geloof, Hoop en Liefde rond een architectonische omlijsting 1570 - 1646

Curator: Welcome. We are looking at Jan Collaert's engraving, "Geloof, Hoop en Liefde rond een architectonische omlijsting," dating from 1570 to 1646, housed at the Rijksmuseum. It is quite striking, isn’t it? Editor: Absolutely! The starkness of the lines immediately brings a neoclassical sobriety to mind, like something hewn from stone even though it's only lines on paper. But look closer and that austerity falls away and something else takes over… it is all balanced like a composition but at the service of commerce. I am not sure whether the commerce elevates the religion or degrades the commerce. It depends who you speak to. Curator: Precisely! The image plays with symmetry and symbolism masterfully. Notice how the figures of Faith, Hope, and Charity—the theological virtues—flank and surmount the architectural frame. The meticulous detailing emphasizes the engraving’s classical form while framing faith within the tangible structure of Renaissance architectural ideals. Editor: The architectural frame… you put your finger right on it! That elaborate frame dominates and it screams "commercial print!" at me, that it wants to function as an exemplar, an imprimatur or guarantee of good quality or belief. So is it really celebrating those ideals? I feel, no, its about celebrating that printing house and saying 'you can believe us!" How are these things made available to more people in a systematic way? Who benefits from this labour and where do those funds end up? What about the lives of the many labourers who created the paper or maintained the printing press. They go uncelebrated so that is telling of what values underpin the design, even it it espouses another intention Curator: It’s interesting to consider the duality of function and devotion! I read the swirling ornamentation, not as purely commerce, but contributing to the ethereal quality and conveying an elevated status. In a semiotic analysis the frame offers structure but is subverted and brought to life in unexpected ways by that ornamentation. Editor: So, beyond the stylistic details, let’s appreciate how prints like this became crucial for the mass dissemination of knowledge, of ideas, across Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries, while acknowledging its socio-economic entanglements. The materials have history. The labour has value. Curator: An excellent observation to remember as you appreciate Collaert’s exquisite handiwork. Editor: And remember that next time you see one of these and enjoy how someone thought that quality could be put onto paper.