Manier om de echtheid van zilver, goud en andere metalen te testen / Alexander hakt de gordiaanse knoop door 1696

Cornelis Meijer created this print, “Manier om de echtheid van zilver, goud en andere metalen te testen / Alexander hakt de gordiaanse knoop door,” sometime in the late 17th century. The linear quality of the etching emphasizes the arrangement of its scenes. Compositionally, the artwork is split into three distinct narrative spaces, unified by their stark, graphic style and a shared vanishing point. The left panel, filled with figures surrounding a table and bath, contrasts sharply with the right panel’s solitary act of cutting the Gordian knot. Meijer uses the contrast between enclosed interior spaces and the implied vastness of Alexander’s quest to explore themes of ingenuity versus brute force. The print's overall structure encourages a semiotic reading. Each scene serves as a signifier, pointing beyond itself to broader concepts of knowledge, power, and destiny. Meijer’s strategic arrangement and interplay of these elements invite viewers to decode the relationships between scientific discovery, political ambition, and the narratives that shape our understanding of history.