Groot ovaal ornament en twee verticale stroken 1612

This print presents us with an oval ornament flanked by two vertical bands, all teeming with intricate, stylized vegetal motifs. These curling tendrils and blossoming forms are not mere decoration. They echo the ancient "horror vacui," a fear of empty space that drives artists across cultures to fill every void with symbolic life. Think of the dense, interwoven patterns in Celtic art, or the overflowing cornucopias in Roman frescoes. Here, they speak to a deep-seated human impulse to impose order and vitality onto the world, transforming blankness into a vibrant expression of growth and abundance. This visual language, however, is not static. The flowing, organic forms also remind of the Art Nouveau movement of a much later period, revealing how the past constantly resurfaces, reborn in new forms. Like a recurring dream, these motifs remind us of the cyclical nature of history, where primal anxieties and aspirations find new voice.