Drie bosnimfen en een jonge vrouw bij een grafmonument 1693 - 1704

Jacobus Baptist created this artwork, "Three Wood Nymphs and a Young Woman at a Grave Monument," with pen and gray and brown ink and brush in the late 17th century. The composition divides itself into three distinct parts, united by a horizontal frieze of fruit and foliage. Symmetry plays a vital role: two figures at either end mirror each other in pose and classical garb, framing an octagonal scene with a funereal monument as its focal point. This central scene, although framed, disrupts the symmetry with its dynamic movement. Baptist employs a semiotic language typical of his time, using classical figures and symbols of nature to speak to themes of mourning. Yet, the composition does not solely rely on these established meanings. The figures relate to each other across the image. In so doing, Baptist destabilizes the conventional boundaries of pictorial space, turning the whole image into a field for exploration. The image becomes a unified plane where each element, regardless of location, is in dialogue with the others. The result is an engraving that invites contemplation and decoding, allowing viewers to engage in an ongoing process of interpretation.