Titelpagina voor: Thronus Justitiae, 1606 1606

Editor: We're looking at the title page for "Thronus Justitiae" from 1606, created by Zacharias Dolendo. It's an etching, a print on aged paper. I'm immediately struck by the intricate typography and the old engraving style – it has a really archaic feel. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Oh, archaic is a perfect word! For me, these title pages are portals. Imagine standing in a 17th-century bookstore, your fingers tracing those very letters. This isn’t just decoration; it’s a promise. It's selling you twelve exceptionally beautiful plates on Justice, all cunningly etched. "Cunningly," I like that word here; it implies artfulness, a little wink to the reader. Look at that small illustrative vignette; it acts as a sort of emblem of what is inside the book! What is it saying? It gives a clue, no? It may reflect larger societal interests in law, virtue, governance at this specific moment. Editor: Definitely a clue. I'm guessing it represents Lady Justice? And I love that idea of a portal...so it's a bit like a film poster today, promising something within? Curator: Precisely! Consider the context: the printing press democratized knowledge, but it also had to *sell* knowledge. Dolendo is selling the very *idea* of Justice – and perhaps a certain view of power that Justice can enable. It is thought-provoking, really. The whole composition really is a statement in and of itself about civic responsibility. Editor: It’s fascinating to think about the book as a commodity and how much is communicated, even on the title page. Thanks; I'm going to look at these differently now. Curator: My pleasure. Me, too! Now I'm going to keep my eyes open for book title pages in other collections. I wonder if the same principles hold?