Ex libris van het familiearchief Van Beresteijn 1908

This is a bookplate, made by an anonymous artist for the Van Beresteijn family archive. I imagine someone carefully carving into a block, maybe wood or linoleum, to make this print. You can almost feel the pressure of the tool as it bites into the surface, slowly revealing the design. Look closely and you'll see this is a crest. The bear feels very present. I wonder about the original intention of the artist and the family. They were probably thinking about legacy, the passing down of stories and heirlooms. It's interesting to think about how each print would have been slightly different. It makes me think about the beauty of imperfection, the way a handmade object carries the trace of its maker. In a way, that's what all art is about: a conversation across time, artists speaking to one another through the language of form and image.