Print Description
The Table of Cebes, or The Journey of Human Life, is an allegory – popular in Europe from the fifteenth through the eighteenth century?that represents the dangers and temptations that beset man and threaten to divert him from an existence predicated upon piety and study, including the study of mathematics. It is often depicted in the form of three concentric walled enclosures, each accessible by a single gate and populated with a variety of figures engaged in the pursuit of knowledge and self-knowledge. Kandel’s print subverts the traditional values of the inward spatial progression, whereby each move closer to the center symbolizes a greater degree of moral purity. Here, even the innermost sanctum is not immune to worldly desires – a Reformation-era commentary on the hypocrisy of institutions claiming to uphold standards of human behavior.
Made by Nicolaes Visscher II after Jacob Matham after H. Goltzius.
Medium: Engraving on hand laid (verge) paper.
Sheet size: 50.5 x 40.2 cm (19.88 x 15.83 inch).
Condition: good, given age. Doubled with Japanese; margins cut short; formerly folded, some thin spots along horizontal fold; small chip in upper right margin, just touching border line; small restored chip in top margin. General age-related toning and/or occasional minor defects from handling. Please study scan carefully.
TABULA CEBETIS, VISSCHER, 1640, MYTHOLOGY, ANCIENT HISTORY, RELIGIOUS, MASTER PRINT | PCO-EXPO-242
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Engraving published by Nicolaes / Claes Jansz Visscher II, dated 1640. Ref: Hollstein 194, copy A (reduced copy).
Reference: Hollstein 194, copy A (reduced copy).
Biography engraver: Nicolaes Visscher II (1649-1702) was a Dutch cartographer and engraver from Amsterdam, known for his detailed maps and allegorical prints.
Biography artist: Jacob Matham (1571-1631) was a Dutch Golden Age engraver and printmaker, famous for his works after paintings by Goltzius.
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