The Fifth Day (Dies V): The Creation of the Kingdom of Animals, from The Creation of the World, a series of seven plates 1589

Curator: Here we have "The Fifth Day (Dies V): The Creation of the Kingdom of Animals" from "The Creation of the World", a series of seven plates by Jan Muller, created in 1589. Editor: It feels teeming! Like a snapshot taken in the very instant the world exploded into life, the density of the detail gives it that vibrant feeling. Curator: Indeed. Muller has captured this divine act through meticulous engraving. The circular format focuses our attention, directing the eye through densely populated land, sea and air. Note the masterful deployment of line and texture—how light and shadow give volume to figures and depth to space. Editor: There’s something wonderfully unsettling about this crowded composition. So many creatures crammed into one scene… Is that figure presiding over it all a pagan god? And what’s with him reclining on what looks like a disgruntled walrus? Curator: That figure most likely represents the divinity. Observe the intentional juxtaposition; earthly creation arising from the divine intervention. The composition becomes a study of hierarchical order with its attention to the symbolism inherent to early landscape and figuration. Editor: That order seems a little chaotic, though. Look at all those disparate creatures, crammed together… crab next to what seems to be a floating dog head. Is it a paradise or a zoo? Curator: One might suggest that that juxtaposition serves a function integral to the engraving itself. It mirrors humanity’s fraught and complex relation to its own constructed natural order. Editor: Well, it certainly gives you a lot to look at. This creation narrative, rendered through such intricate linework… almost makes the idea of sudden creation believable. What a vibrant menagerie springing to life all at once. It’s a lot to process! Curator: Precisely. Muller invites contemplation on a wealth of subjects, all intertwined. It serves as a powerful exercise in examining artistic theory in 16th century art practices. Editor: It’s definitely a work that grows on you. From initial chaos to considered complexity... there’s more in this small space than meets the eye.