LIV His Alis 1614

Roemer Visscher created this engraving titled "LIV His Alis" sometime before 1620. Note how the pictorial space is divided into halves – a block of text on the left, and on the right, an image of a ship at sea contained within a border. The ship in the image is rendered with a formal exactness. Look closely at the detailing of the sails, the rigging, and the hull, each delineated with clear, precise lines. The waves, too, are depicted with a repetitive pattern of curved strokes, lending a sense of rhythmic movement to the scene. The image suggests a controlled, almost mathematical, approach to representing the natural world. Visscher juxtaposes a textual narrative alongside the image of the ship as a visual metaphor of his themes. His use of structured, linear forms, and the clear separation of text and image, underscores a world seen through the lens of order and reason. The artwork invites us to contemplate how structure and representation interact to create meaning.