Placcaet inhoudende scherp verbodt van opte steden, havenen, ende plaetsen, wesende onder t' gebiedt vanden Coninck van Spaingien (...) enz. enz. 1591

Curator: Today, we are examining a printed Placcaet, a public ordinance, from 1591, produced by Aelbrecht Hendricksz in The Hague. The title announces a stern prohibition enacted by the States General of the United Netherlands. Editor: It has a solemn aura, doesn’t it? The dense text in blackletter, tightly packed, looks heavy and authoritative. Almost oppressive in its visual weight. Curator: Indeed. Typography in this period carries immense symbolic weight. Blackletter itself evokes tradition and legitimacy. And note the intricate floral design beneath the main body, acting as a kind of seal or signature of authority. Editor: Those flourishing designs create a false sense of sophistication that tries to softens a brutal reality, if the title is anything to go by. All to prevent commerce with Spain? Curator: Precisely. The text prohibits trade with cities, harbors, and regions under Spanish rule, including Portugal, England, and even those occupied by Spanish rebels or pirates. Essentially an economic blockade against Spain. Editor: So, the flower-like seal is actually locking something out. Clever how symbolism works on multiple levels like that. It goes beyond surface beauty—it communicates restriction and control. It shows me, if I wasn’t able to read, that something is closed. Curator: And consider the paper itself—its relative fragility juxtaposed with the strident content of the proclamation. These ephemeral documents shaped public discourse, but their material survival speaks to the intensity of the historical moment. Editor: It makes you consider what other stories are not told, if we only have half a page for history, how much information do we loose through time, it creates a huge space to wander. This reminds me to observe the cracks in my world and maybe peek through it once in a while.