Florale motieven 1636

This is a title page, probably made in Amsterdam sometime in the mid-17th century, by Abraham Dircksz. Santvoort, using etching. It advertises a Dutch translation of a tragic love story set in France during the reign of Henry IV. The publisher, Jacob Heerman, was located on the Dam square, at the corner of a street known as 'Voghel-steech', in the 'Cruydt-Boeck' – presumably his bookshop. We could do more research in the archives of the city to find out more about this place. The history of book publishing is crucial to understanding the social role of art and culture in this period. Institutions like the bookshop played a key role in making works available for public consumption. The title page served as a kind of advertisement and as a claim to a certain social standing. In order to understand this piece better, we would want to know more about the place of translation in Dutch culture and the relationship between the Netherlands and France at this time.