Titelpagina ontwerp voor: Joost van den Vondel, Gysbreght van Aemstel 1893

This title page design for Joost van den Vondel’s "Gysbreght van Aemstel", was made by Antoon Derkinderen in 1893. Its muted colors, achieved through lithography, give the work a subdued, almost melancholic feel. Derkinderen likely employed traditional drawing techniques to create the original design, before transferring it to a lithographic stone. The final print would have been achieved through a commercial process involving repetitive hand-cranked printing. The flatness inherent in lithography allows for crisp lines and tonal variations, visible in the Art Nouveau style border, and the dramatic scene of a woman fleeing a burning city. The process embodies the late 19th-century tension between handmade artistry and mechanical reproduction, reflecting debates about art, labor, and industrialization. The print bridges the gap between the individual artist's vision and the wider dissemination of culture through printed material, reminding us that every artwork bears the imprint of its making and social context.