Bandontwerp voor: Thérèse Hoven, Vrouwen lief en leed onder de tropen, 1896 before 1896

This is a design made in 1896 by Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries for the cover of "Thérèse Hoven, Vrouwen lief en leed onder de tropen" rendered in ink. The cover employs art nouveau symbols such as stylized rays, typical of turn-of-the-century aesthetics and evoking the exotic allure of the tropics. It features abstract geometric shapes, with lines radiating outwards, framing the title. The symbol of radiating lines, reminiscent of both sunbeams and expanding energy, finds echoes in ancient Egyptian art and later in the halos of Christian iconography, representing enlightenment or divine power. Here, these radiating lines may evoke the heat and intensity of the tropics. The symmetrical layout reinforces a sense of balance and order, perhaps to contain the unknown aspects of tropical lands. As we see, the recurring motifs, passed down through history, are forever evolving in their meaning as they engage viewers on an unconscious level.