Titelpagina voor: Krauss, J.C. 'Afbeeldingen der fraaiste, meest uitheemsche boomen en heesters', 1802 1802

Reinier Vinkeles created this title page for J.C. Krauss's book on exotic trees and shrubs in 1802, using etching. The composition is divided into three distinct zones. We first encounter a typographic hierarchy of information presented in a formal, almost architectural arrangement. Below this, a small vignette depicts an idealized landscape scene with figures tending to what appear to be exotic plants. Finally, at the bottom, the location and publisher details anchor the design. Vinkeles employs a semiotic strategy here, where text and image combine to signify knowledge and the aesthetic appreciation of nature. The formal typography suggests an ordered, rational approach to botany, aligning with the Enlightenment's emphasis on scientific classification. Meanwhile, the picturesque landscape alludes to the pleasures derived from cultivated nature, pointing towards a commodification of the natural world.