Afbeeldingen van dieren en vogels / Planche d'animaux et d'oiseaux 1833 - 1911

This undated print, “Afbeeldingen van dieren en vogels / Planche d'animaux et d'oiseaux” by Brepols & Dierckx, presents a catalogue of fauna in a structured grid. The arrangement is immediately striking; nine vignettes, each a tableau of animal life, are neatly compartmentalized, yet subtly interconnected through a unifying palette of muted greens, browns, and blues. The composition flirts with semiotic possibilities. Each animal, rendered with a precise, almost scientific detail, acts as a signifier. A deer stands next to a Christian cross. An owl sits next to a bare tree stump. The print is structured as a system of visual signs, inviting us to decode the natural world through a cultural lens. The very act of categorization challenges the fluidity of nature, imposing a human order onto the animal kingdom. Ultimately, the print is a testament to the human impulse to classify and understand. Its formal structure—the grid, the color scheme—serves not only an aesthetic purpose but also underscores our complex relationship with nature, framing it within systems of knowledge and representation.