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Wednesday 29 March 2023

Gijsbert van Veen’s engraving, “Times are Changing and We are Changing with Them”, c1607/12



Gijsbert van Veen (aka Gysbrecht van Veen; Gijsbert Vaenius; Gisbert Venius) (1558–1628), possibly designed in collaboration with his brother, Otto van Veen’s (aka Otho Venius; Octaviovan Veen; Otho Vaenius) (1556–1629)—the teacher of Rubens

“Times are Changing and We are Changing with Them” (aka “Tempora mutantur, et nos mutamur in illis”), c1607/12, published in Antwerp by Prostant apud Philippum Lisaert in 1612, as an illustration shown facing page 176 in Otto van Veen’s “Quinti Horatii Flacci Emblemata, Imaginibus in Æs Incisis, Notisque, Illustrata” (The emblems of Quintus Horatius Flaccus, illustrated with images engraved on them, and noted) with accompanying lines from Horace’s (aka Quintus Horatius Flaccus) (65–8 BCE) “Odes”, Book III.

Engraving on fine laid paper trimmed around the image borderline (or slightly within) and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (support sheet) 31.3 x 25.2 cm; (sheet) 18.1 x 14.8 cm.

The following translation of the accompanying text for this illustration may help to give the flavour of the writing (my apologies for errors in the translation): “Time makes everything worse, bringing new vices, emerging from the open wood of Pandora, with all evils. Our fathers passed their ancestors into malice, and we, worse than them, will leave nephews behind us, who owe us vice.” (p. 176).

Archive.org offers an online view of this print in its context in the publication: https://archive.org/details/quintihoratiifla00veen/page/177/mode/2up.

See also this engraving and accompanying text offered by De Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren (DBNL): https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/vaen001quin01_01/vaen001quin01_01_0088.php.

Note that this impression is from a Latin edition that is different from the publication showcased by Archive.org (based on looking at the layout when the print is held to the light).

Condition: a well-printed impression, trimmed around the image borderline and laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper providing wide margins. The sheet is in a very good condition for its age, with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains or foxing.

I am selling this marvellous emblem print with Father Time (aka Chronos) carrying his scythe—his famous leveller of men—flying over ancient ruins bringing with him what I assume may be allegorical putti figures of the vices, for the total cost of AU$237 (currently US$158.24/EUR146.06/GBP128.37 at the time of this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) 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 this visual reminder of the constancy of vices with changing times, 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









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