Cartouche met rolwerk en twee vogelkoppen 1590

This undated cartouche with scrollwork and two bird heads was created by an anonymous artist. Notice how the composition is structured around contrasting geometric and organic elements. The crisp rectangular frame and lettered text provide a stable, rational foundation, while the surrounding scrollwork introduces fluidity with curvilinear forms. This interplay can be read as a visual metaphor for the tension between knowledge and the natural world, where fixed systems of language and cartography attempt to capture and contain the ever-changing landscape. The bird heads function as symbolic markers; they disrupt the symmetrical balance, inviting us to question the absolute authority of the cartographic representation. Furthermore, the materiality of the print—the fine lines and hatched shading—lends a tactile quality to the image. The cartouche presents itself not as a definitive statement but as a dynamic interplay of form and meaning. It asks us to consider how the processes of representation both reveal and conceal aspects of our understanding of the world.