Fries met een dubbele trommel 1572

This print, "Fries met een dubbele trommel", was created by Johannes or Lucas van Doetechum. The print presents a complex array of imagery. Central is a man, perhaps a mythological figure given the bull at his side, but the image is enveloped by further ornamental designs. Produced in the Netherlands, likely in the 16th or 17th century, it is suggestive of a culture absorbed in both classical knowledge and elaborate, almost overwhelming, decoration. The presence of seemingly classical figures contained within this ornamental frame hints at the way Renaissance art and ideas were received and reinterpreted in the context of the Low Countries. This was a place where a burgeoning mercantile culture encountered the humanist revival, with the results seen here: a proliferation of pattern alongside echoes of classical themes. Understanding this print requires looking at its status within the history of decorative arts and the printing industry of the Netherlands, delving into pattern books and the dissemination of classical imagery through print culture. Only then can we begin to see the specific ways its imagery reflects and shapes its time.