Het Sint-Ursulaklooster te Amsterdam, ca. 1544 1760

This is an engraving of Het Sint-Ursulaklooster te Amsterdam, made around 1544 by an anonymous artist. The print presents us with two distinct visual fields. The upper section, framed by an ornate, almost theatrical curtain, shows a detailed rendering of the Sint-Ursula Monastery and its immediate surroundings, resembling a bird's-eye-view map. Below this, the artist depicts a serene townscape, complete with buildings and a church spire piercing the skyline. The structure here creates an interplay between cartographic precision and idyllic representation. We might interpret the contrast between the map-like rendering and townscape as indicative of emerging modes of spatial representation, and of broader cultural shifts from medieval symbolism toward more empirical forms of knowledge and understanding. Consider the way that this division invites us to reflect on the methods through which we perceive and understand the world around us, a theme as relevant today as it was in the 16th century.