5 Cornelis Cort (1533–1578) after Frans Floris I (1519/1520–1570) - Geometria

"Vestigare geometriae interualla locorum est, quamque alto, longa, et lata rerum corpora"

The rare allegorical engraving by Cornelis Cort (1533–1578) after Frans Floris I (1519/1520–1570), published by Hieronymus Cock in Antwerp, 1565, this edition done by Johannes Galle in 1650 ca.

Print showing a woman and two men who are gathered around a globe of the world. The woman holds a drafting compass and wears a crown that looks like the turrets of a castle. A frog and a snake are at the base of the globe. Various books and tools for measuring are scattered about on the ground. Geometry is a branch of mathematics concerned with questions of shape, size, relative position of figures, and the properties of space. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is called a geometer. Geometry arose independently in a number of early cultures as a body of practical knowledge concerning lengths, areas, and volumes. The earliest recorded beginnings of geometry can be traced to ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt in the 2nd millennium BC.

”Geometria” is the part of the Seven Liberal Arts which are intricate depictions of female figures personifying each discipline, conveying the Renaissance ideals of education and intellectual pursuit. Through symbolic imagery and careful composition, Floris captures the essence of Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, and Astronomy, reflecting the era's reverence for learning and the arts.

Artist of Maker

Cornelis Cort

Medium

Engraving

Date

1650