About the Title Page
Titelbladet, 1575/1619, træsnit
Lorck’s Perception of Himself
In the lower circle, Lorck depicts himself as a classical figure in profile. The inscription surrounding him gives his name and origin: Melchior Lorck from Flensburg in Holstein.
In the upper circle, we see Lorck’s motto: As God both helps and preserves.
The middle circles show Lorck’s emblems, which tell about him on a symbolic level.
The left one refers to his faith in God: God’s hand, coming down from Heaven, rules everything.
The right one refers to Lorck’s character: he is as firm as a rock in a stormy sea, and has the strength of a diamond.
The letters which seem to float freely about the sheet form the words: DEVS EWIG – the eternal God. Both the Greek and the Hebrew alphabets can be seen at the bottom of the sheet.
In this way, the sheet describes Lorck as a steadfast and devout person. Furthermore, Lorck is portrayed as having classical knowledge and thus being a modern Renaissance artist, in contrast to the earlier, medieval type of artist, the craftsman artist.
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