Meten, wegen en rekenen 1719

"Meten, wegen en rekenen" (Measuring, Weighing and Calculating), a 1719 etching by Dutch artist Pieter Balthasar Bouttats (1666-1755), is a highly intricate and decorative title page for a book on hunting and measurement. The composition features a central cartouche filled with hunting trophies, including deer, game birds, and hunting equipment. The cartouche is flanked by two figures, likely hunters, and is surmounted by a coat of arms. The detailed inscription below the cartouche highlights the importance of accurate measurement in the context of hunting. Bouttats’s expertise in etching is evident in the fine detail and sophisticated rendering of the composition's many elements.