Joh. Hilarides - Monothe-ill [Portrait of Balthasar Bekker]

Joh. Hilarides - Monothe-ill [Portrait of Balthasar Bekker] - [N.p.] - [No publ.] - [c. 1698?] - 1 sheet - 17,5 x 24 cm.

Condition: Excellent.

Emblem print with a portrait (print 11 x 16 cm) of Balthasar Bekker by Johan Hilarides as published in 1691 in Amsterdam by Daniel van den Dalen. However, in this variant Bekker has been given a shadow with a kind of 'Medusa head', above which the text Virtutis Umbra Invidia (= Envy is the shadow of virtue). On its pedestal is the word Terminabit (to end or ending?). Perhaps this is a parody or satire against the enlightened ideas of the author of De Betoverde Weereld? Or is it on the contrary a tribute to him, perhaps printed on the occasion of his death?

¶ Balthasar Bekker (1634-1698) was a Dutch preacher and theologian, a fighter against superstition and one of the forerunners of the Enlightenment. He contributed to the abolition of witch trials and belief in devils and devil worship. Johannes Hilarides (1649-1726) was a preacher but also a quirky bookseller in Dokkum. He is considered an important champion of the Frisian language.