Open full image Pin

Title Page for Sylva Sylvarum, Francis Bacon

Thomas Cecil

1629

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Baroque Baroque

Dominant colour

Title Page for Sylva Sylvarum, Francis Bacon is a 1629 ink by Thomas Cecil, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Thomas Cecil
When & what style?: 1629 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This image is a black-and-white engraving of a book’s title page. At the top, two cherubs float above columns, holding up a cloudy sky. Below them, a globe sits between the columns, with the words *Mundus Intellectualis* (Intellectual World) written on it. The text at the bottom reads *Sylva Sylvarum, or A Natural History*, with the author’s name and publisher details. The globe and Latin phrases hint at ideas about nature and knowledge. This was published in 1629, making it from an early time when books like this were rare. Next, look up engraving to see how artists carved these detailed images into metal.