Hoofdletter O met beeltenis van een figuur en bijenkorven 1702 - 1767

Jacob Folkema created this initial “O” somewhere between 1692 and 1767 using etching and engraving techniques. During Folkema’s time, the Dutch Republic was a major center for trade and culture, but also a society marked by strict social hierarchies and religious norms. This initial shows a man with his back turned who is busy painting bee hives which suggests themes of labor and industry, virtues highly valued in Dutch society. However, this image also invokes the classical trope of the Garden of Eden; the man’s partially exposed back and arms and his position within an idealized, perhaps imaginary, landscape could reference the fall of man and the loss of innocence. The figure's immersion in nature hints at a longing for a simpler existence. The artist seems to be reflecting on the relationship between humanity, nature, and the divine. The tension between the industriousness of the bee hives and the naturalistic setting of this image evokes a sense of nostalgia.