XLVI Afkomst seyt niet 1614

This artwork by Roemer Visscher, dating back to the late 16th or early 17th century, is a study in contrasts and symbolic resonance. The composition is divided into text and image, each framed and presented on facing pages, which creates a dialogue between the literary and the visual. The image of a hand firmly gripping a brush, poised over a landscape, dominates the right side. Look at the strong diagonal created by the arm and brush. There's a sense of dynamic energy. The stark monochrome, typical of engravings from this period, enhances the graphic quality. The rough texture, implied by the engraving lines, brings a tactile dimension to the artwork, suggesting a connection to labor and the material world. In the context of Visscher's time, where social mobility was a topic of debate, the artwork's title suggests a challenge to the conventional notions of nobility. It invites us to reconsider the foundations of social status and individual worth.