Designed by Adriaen van der Venne
(1589–1662)
(Recto: page 135) Plate XXVII “Niet en
kander beter passen, als dat t’samen is gewassen” (Nothing fits better, than
what grew together), 1627/59
(Verso: page 136) Plate XXIX: “Non te quæsiveris
extra” (Do not seek for things outside of yourself), 1627/59
Illustrations to Jacob Cats’
(1577–1660) (known with respect and affection as “Father Cats”) “Proteus”,
first published in 1618, and “Sinne- en minnebeelden” (“Portraits of morality
and love” or “Images of mind and memory”), first published in 1627. This
engraving is from the 1659 edition of “Alle de Wercken van den heere Jacob Cats
…” (Complete Works of Jacob Cats), pages 135 (recto) and 136 (verso), with
reversed images rendered with finer engraved craftsmanship than the first
editions and with engraved illustrations and printed text on both sides (as
published).
Double sided letterpress printed page with
an engraving recto and verso on laid paper.
Size: (sheet) 37.9 x 21.7 cm; (recto plate)
12.5 x 12.1 cm; (image borderline) 12.1 x 12 cm
Condition: faultless impressions in
pristine condition.
I am selling this magnificent,
museum-quality leaf for the total cost of AU$187 (currently US$134.55/EUR115.93/GBP103.84
at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the
world (but not, of course, any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries).
If you are interested in purchasing these
double-sided engravings of the highest quality, please contact me
(oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make
the payment easy.
This print has been sold
I suspect that the expressed meaning to the
recto engraved illustration, “Niet en kander beter passen, als dat t’samen is
gewassen” (i.e. Nothing fits better, than what grew together), may be
self-explanatory. After all the hands protruding from the clouds hold two
shells of a walnut that clearly do not “fit” together. The inference, however,
is not about walnuts but rather about love, in the sense that lovers that spend
time together—perhaps even “wassen” (wash) together to conserve water—are
perfectly matched for life.
Of course what may seem self-explanatory
proverb to one viewer may not be understood the same way by the next viewer and
Jacob Cats (affectionately known as “Father Cats” even though he was a grumpy chap) was well aware of this and so he footnoted his
illustrated proverbs with (according to the Editors of “Encyclopaedia
Britannica”) “text in Dutch, Latin, and French” offering “a threefold
interpretation, expressing what were for Cats the three elements of human life:
love, society, and religion” (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jacob-Cats#ref49086)
After having written this rather brief
explanation of what I thought was an engraving projecting a “self explanatory” meaning,
I read another print dealer’s explanation of what is portrayed which shows that
nothing can ever be straight forward:
“This plate #28 [sic] shows someone
trying two fit two different shell halfs [sic] to make a whole one. The meaning
of this emblem is that the first love in a person's life is to be cherished and
even after two or more marriages the first is always special.” (https://www.amazon.com/Antique-Print-SHELL-LOVE-MARRIAGE-Venne-Cats-1655/dp/B00DJSQF3Q).
Wow! I guess that I didn’t understand the meaning at all!
