Artwork

Title Page for A.D. van Buren Schele's "Adolf van Gelder", Amsterdam, 1842

Title Page for A.D. van Buren Schele's "Adolf van Gelder", Amsterdam, 1842 is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Dirk Jurriaan Sluyter. It dates from 1842 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. The work is a title page illustration for the 1842 publication Adolf van Gelder, printed in Amsterdam.

About this work

Overview

The work is a title page illustration for the 1842 publication Adolf van Gelder, printed in Amsterdam. Executed as an engraving by Dirk Jurriaan Sluyter around the same year, the image functions as a frontispiece, introducing the book’s narrative through a night‑time tableau rendered in monochrome.

Subject & Meaning

The composition depicts a nocturnal confrontation: three armored figures dominate the foreground, one brandishing a spear, while behind them a chaotic melee unfolds near a fortified castle with prominent towers. A low, luminous moon illuminates a rain‑slicked ground, lending the scene a dramatic, almost mythic atmosphere that suggests a tale of chivalry or legend.

Technique & Style

Sluyter employed traditional copper‑plate engraving, incising fine lines to achieve intricate detail and tonal variation. The stark contrast between deep shadows and illuminated areas creates a sense of depth and movement, characteristic of mid‑nineteenth‑century narrative prints that sought to convey story through precise, labor‑intensive line work.

History & Provenance

Created circa 1842, the engraving was commissioned for A.D. van Buren Schele’s Adolf van Gelder, a work published in Amsterdam. The artist’s signature appears in the lower corner, confirming authorship. The print has survived as part of the book’s original edition and is documented in museum collections that focus on Dutch printmaking of the period.