Amor schiet pijlen op een aardbol met sterrenbeelden 1686

Jan van Vianen made this print called 'Amor Shooting Arrows at a Globe with Constellations' in the Netherlands, sometime between 1670 and 1726. It uses etching, a printmaking technique particularly suited to detailed and allegorical imagery. The image presents a visual metaphor. Cupid, the god of love, is shooting arrows not at a human target, but at a globe marked with zodiac signs. The globe has already been struck multiple times, and stands for the entire world and the cosmos. This image reflects the 17th century Dutch fascination with global trade, exploration, and scientific discovery, all of which were reshaping their world-view. At the time, the Dutch Republic was a major economic power and these kinds of images spoke to a culture consumed with mapping and understanding the world. To understand the nuances of this print further, one might consult emblem books popular at the time, or study the history of Dutch cartography and its relationship to commerce. In these ways, the historian reveals how art becomes a mirror reflecting its social and institutional context.