3 layers of printed paper.
2 people undressing.
1 sundial made with an arrow stuck in an ass.
That's entertainment in 1629 Germany.
You see a special #broadside criticizing the so-called Alamodismus (à la mode), a (French) fashion orientated lifestyle under critic in German speaking Europe. Single-sheet items rarely had 2 extra layers of paper. Bonus feature: the Latin text at end is in mirror writing, so the reader needed to hold the print to a mirror to get it. @histodons#histodons
On the painting with the title "The Alchemist" from the Flemish Mattheus van Helmont, circa mid seventeenth century, are many uses and abuses of #earlymodern paper products reflected in the details. I will address 7 of these paper issues in the thread. Bonus for #Alchemy friends: a large écorché figure, a distillation apparatus over a fire, and metal working assistants.
Enjoy.
@histodons Let's start with a typical paper product of the time, a single sheet print - a so-called #broadside
Such broadsides were often pinned or glued to walls: to re-read the text, to reflect on the images, to be reminded of a topic, and so on. The one in the painting seems to be carrying script, on paper. Maybe used as a post-it for the Alchemist?