Portret van Johan Sems 1623

This is Jacob Matham's portrait of Johan Sems, made with engraving. Note the compass and globe: symbols of intellect and exploration during the 16th and 17th centuries. The compass—an instrument to create perfect circles—mirrors the ambitions of an age that sought order in the cosmos and mastery over the earth. We see its echo in Renaissance depictions of God as the Architect of the Universe, using a compass to design the world. The globe, a microcosm reflecting the macrocosm, speaks of humanity's quest to map and understand the world, a theme that goes back to classical antiquity. Yet, the globe also represents the known world. These symbols are not static; their meanings evolve. What was once a tool for discovery becomes, in time, a symbol of the human will to dominate nature. It reflects our collective aspirations and anxieties, a testament to the enduring power of symbols to shape our understanding of the world. These symbols recur again and again throughout history.