Tekstblad met verklaring van de prenten, p. 2 1695

This is page two of a text sheet by Charles Perrault, printed sometime around 1700. The overall visual experience is dominated by the dense blocks of text. The dark, uniform lines create a rigid structure. Perrault presents a hierarchy of the arts. Eloquence, poetry, and music are grouped together, described as purely spiritual. Architecture, painting, and sculpture, on the other hand, are concerned with physical works. Optics and mechanics combine both spiritual and material operations. This division reflects broader intellectual trends of the period that sought to classify and categorize knowledge. The layout of the page, with its neat columns and justified margins, reinforces the idea of order and rational thought. Notice how the ampersands, with their elaborate flourishes, disrupt the rigid structure of the text. These small details hint at the tension between the desire for order and the inherent complexity of the subject matter.