Lofdicht op de troonsbestijging van Karel II in Engeland before 1665

This is Gesina ter Borch’s ‘Lofdicht op de troonsbestijging van Karel II in Engeland’, an ink drawing on paper. Immediately, your eye is drawn to the elegant script that fills the page, a testament to the art of calligraphy as a form of visual expression. The poem celebrates Charles II’s ascension to the throne. Notice how the lines of text are carefully arranged, creating a rhythmic pattern that guides the eye. The verticality of the lines contrasts with the slight curvature of the script, creating a visual tension that animates the page. Ter Borch uses the textual space as a structured composition. Consider the broader context: in the 17th century, the use of handwritten documents was common. Ter Borch challenges fixed meanings by elevating calligraphy to an art form. Through the interplay of text and space, she invites us to reconsider the relationship between language and visuality, poetry and power.