Menukaart voor het vierde diner van de Société des Bibliophiles Contemporains 1889 - 1894

Édouard-Henri Avril created this menu card for the Société des Bibliophiles Contemporains, employing engraving. Here, we see a delightful interplay of symbols. At the bottom, objects rest on a table in what appears to be a classical display of wealth and erudition, and at the top, winged figures carry books. Note how this gesture of carrying or presenting objects of significance is as old as visual culture itself. We find it, for example, in ancient Egyptian art with offerings to the gods, and again in Renaissance paintings with gifts presented to the Madonna. Observe the figure precariously balancing atop a pile of books. This act is a potent visual metaphor for the precarious nature of knowledge. This figure, teetering on the edge of a literary precipice, encapsulates the intellectual adventure and the delicate balance between order and chaos. These motifs, passed down through history, evolve, reflecting our changing relationship with knowledge and tradition, a testament to the enduring power of symbols to engage us on a subconscious level.