Ornament voor een boekband 1878 - 1944

This ornament for a book cover was made by Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita and now resides in the Rijksmuseum. Its stark black lines on a white background immediately present a composition of order and calculated precision. Notice the symmetry—a central horizontal line, paralleled by thinner lines that gradually resolve into arrowhead forms, each pointing inward. The arrows create a powerful sense of depth and perspective, paradoxically contained within this two-dimensional space. The design is punctuated by circles, like industrial rivets that hold the structure together. Mesquita, although lesser known, shared with Mondrian a drive to distill form to its essence, yet he retained an organic sensibility, a tension between the geometric and the natural. The use of line in this artwork is a critical element, functioning as a visual language. Each line is decisive and contributes to the overall structure. This piece challenges us to reconsider the function of ornament—not merely as decoration, but as a fundamental element of structure and meaning.