Cherubijnen in een driehoek 1717

Izaak Enschedé printed this title page for "The Way of Vanity" in 1717 in Haarlem, Netherlands. At this time, Dutch society was steeped in the visual and literary language of the Dutch Golden Age, where allegories of mortality and moralizing proverbs served as reminders of life's transience. The image creates meaning through the arrangement of cherubs in a triangular formation, symbolizing the Holy Trinity and divine presence in the face of human transience. Enschedé’s choice of typography and layout reflects the period’s emphasis on clarity and order, values that resonated with the cultural and economic structures of the Dutch Republic, a society built on trade and Calvinist principles. Historical sources from the period, such as emblem books and religious texts, provide context for understanding the pervasive themes of morality and the social expectations of the time. This title page is a product of the institutional forces of publishing, religious doctrine, and cultural norms, encapsulating the complex interplay between art, belief, and society in the 18th-century Netherlands.