Titelpagina: J.T. Hermes, 'Geschiedenis van den heer Leopold Kerker of Moeder Zoogster en Kind', 1810 1751 - 1816

This is Reinier Vinkeles's 1810 engraving, made as the title page for J.T. Hermes’s story, ‘Leopold Kerker.’ The composition invites us into an outdoor scene with a horse-drawn carriage and figures rendered in fine lines and tonal variations. The eye is immediately drawn to the carriage and its occupants, but then shifts to the figure lying prone in the lower right. The image is structured around a juxtaposition of movement and stasis. The carriage, a symbol of transit, contrasts sharply with the figure who is grounded and immobile. Vinkeles uses line and form to build contrasts: the detailed rendering of the carriage and the soft texture of the foliage create a visual tension. The lines direct our gaze across the tableau, and this tension emphasizes the relationships between characters, and perhaps class and privilege. Note how Vinkeles’s formal choices serve the narrative. The engraving is not merely illustrative but is a commentary on the story’s themes through its very structure.