XXVIII Potentius ictu fulmineo 1614

This engraving, "XXVIII Potentius ictu fulmineo", was made by Roemer Visscher around the turn of the 17th century. It’s a page from a book, printed with ink on paper. Look closely, and you'll see that the image depicts a sword, ingeniously constructed from coins. The material of money transforms the meaning of the weapon. Rather than being a symbol of military might, it speaks to the power of commerce. The sword suggests that wealth can be a potent force, capable of achieving more than violence. This was a particularly timely observation in the Netherlands, which was then a rising mercantile power. Consider the labor involved, not just in the depicted accumulation of wealth, but in the skilled printing of the image itself. Books like this were luxury items, and speak to a culture of increasing consumption. In this context, Visscher’s combination of image and text offers a wry commentary on the values of his time.