Roemer Visscher
Encyclopedia
Roemer Pieterszoon Visscher (1547 – 19 February 1620) was a successful Dutch
merchant and writer in the period often called the Dutch Golden Age
.
and was an important and central figure of the cultural scene there and member of the rederijkerskamer "In liefde bloeiende" ("Blossoming in love"). Other members of this scene were the Dutch writers P.C. Hooft
, Bredero
and Vondel
. Vondel called Visschers house "het saligh Roemers huys" ("delightful house of Roemer"), because artists of all kinds visited his house on the Gelderse Kade in Amsterdam, varying from painters to poets. Roemer was the father of three daughters Maria Tesselschade Visscher
, Gertruid, and Anna Visscher
.
and moralistic content of his works belongs to the period of the Renaissance
, although the form was more conservative and characteristic to the rederijkers. Visscher was a specialist in the epigram
, but he also wrote emblemata
. The emblemata is a genre in which pictures are accompanied by one or two rhyming sentences. An example of the emblemata is Visschers Sinnepoppen. One emblema is called "Elck wat wils" which is still a common expression in Dutch, meaning "To each his own".
Among his works are:
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
merchant and writer in the period often called the Dutch Golden Age
Dutch Golden Age
The Golden Age was a period in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 17th century, in which Dutch trade, science, military and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. The first half is characterised by the Eighty Years' War till 1648...
.
Life
Visscher was born in and lived in AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and was an important and central figure of the cultural scene there and member of the rederijkerskamer "In liefde bloeiende" ("Blossoming in love"). Other members of this scene were the Dutch writers P.C. Hooft
Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft
Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft - Knight in the Order of Saint Michael - was a Dutch historian, poet and playwright from the period known as the Dutch Golden Age.-Life:...
, Bredero
Gerbrand Adriaensz Bredero
Gerbrand Adriaensz Bredero was a Dutch poet and playwright in the period known as the Dutch Golden Age.-Life:...
and Vondel
Joost van den Vondel
Joost van den Vondel was a Dutch writer and playwright. He is considered the most prominent Dutch poet and playwright of the 17th century. His plays are the ones from that period that are still most frequently performed, and his epic Joannes de Boetgezant , on the life of John the Baptist, has...
. Vondel called Visschers house "het saligh Roemers huys" ("delightful house of Roemer"), because artists of all kinds visited his house on the Gelderse Kade in Amsterdam, varying from painters to poets. Roemer was the father of three daughters Maria Tesselschade Visscher
Maria Tesselschade Visscher
Maria Tesselschade Roemers Visscher, also called Maria Tesselschade Roemersdochter Visscher or Tesselschade was a Dutch poet and engraver.-Life:...
, Gertruid, and Anna Visscher
Anna Visscher
Anna Roemers Visscher was a Dutch artist, poet, and translator.Anna Roemers Visscher, well-known for her literary work, was the eldest daughter of Amsterdam merchant and poet Roemer Visscher and the sister of Maria Tesselschade Visscher...
.
Works
The humanisticHumanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
and moralistic content of his works belongs to the period of the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
, although the form was more conservative and characteristic to the rederijkers. Visscher was a specialist in the epigram
Epigram
An epigram is a brief, interesting, usually memorable and sometimes surprising statement. Derived from the epigramma "inscription" from ἐπιγράφειν epigraphein "to write on inscribe", this literary device has been employed for over two millennia....
, but he also wrote emblemata
Emblemata
Usually known simply as the "Emblemata", the first emblem book appeared in Augsburg in 1531 under the title Viri Clarissimi D. Andreae Alciati Iurisconsultiss. Mediol. Ad D. Chonradum Peutingerum Augustanum, Iurisconsultum Emblematum Liber...
. The emblemata is a genre in which pictures are accompanied by one or two rhyming sentences. An example of the emblemata is Visschers Sinnepoppen. One emblema is called "Elck wat wils" which is still a common expression in Dutch, meaning "To each his own".
Among his works are:
- T'loff vande mutse, ende van een blaewe scheen (1612)
- Brabbeling (1614)
- Sinnepoppen (1614)
External links
- Sinnepoppen digital versions http://www.xs4all.nl/~graauw/sinnepoppen/sinnepoppen.html http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/viss004sinn01_01/
- T'lof van rethorica - digital version (from the work Brabbeling)
- picture of a page from Sinnepoppen
- Roemer Visscher (1547-1620) - pictures of Roemer Visscher