Titelblad til "Københavnske Samlinger af rare Trykte- og Utrykte- Piecer" 1755

Jonas Haas created this title page for "Københavnske Samlinger" around 1755 using etching. The scene presents workers inside a mine, diligently extracting resources, observed under the banner "Scrutando Invenimus" – "By searching, we discover." The motif of mining, deeply embedded in folklore, appears across cultures as a metaphor for uncovering hidden knowledge. From alchemical quests to the dwarves in Norse mythology who forged treasures in the earth, mining symbolizes an entry into the unknown, the extraction of value from darkness. Consider the psychological weight of this image: the mine as the unconscious, where symbols and memories lie buried, awaiting excavation. The tools used by the miners resonate with the implements of scholars, suggesting intellectual labor. Like those who seek enlightenment, the miners toil to bring hidden treasures to light. This mining motif resurfaces time and again, continually echoing through the corridors of history, transformed yet fundamentally the same.