Zonnewijzer in een landschap met twee figuren 1682

Arnold Houbraken created this print titled 'Sundial in a Landscape with Two Figures' sometime between 1660 and 1719. During the Dutch Golden Age, artists like Houbraken were deeply engaged with themes of morality and the passage of time. The sundial, prominently featured, serves as a poignant reminder of life's brevity. The figures in the landscape, dwarfed by the natural world and the looming sundial, underscore the insignificance of human existence in the face of time and the divine. The accompanying text reflects a yearning for divine presence and a lament over the human condition, touching on themes of darkness, shadow, and the search for beauty and meaning. "What am I without you," the text poignantly asks, "but a night and shadow that no one knows?". Houbraken invites us to contemplate our place in the cosmos, urging us to reflect on our fleeting existence. The piece serves as a reminder of our mortality, and the eternal search for meaning.