Twee narren op jacht

About this artwork

Prent afkomstig uit: Erasmus, Desiderius. Morias enkomion (...). Bazel: Johann Rudolf Genath, 1676. De prenten hierin zijn naar tekeningen die Hans en Ambrosius Holbein maakten voor de theoloog Oswald Myconius in diens uitgave van de Moriae encomium (Lof der Zotheid) van 1516.

Art Historical Context

This small etching by Caspar Merian, measuring just 55 by 147 millimeters, originates from a 1676 Basel edition of Desiderius Erasmus’s celebrated satirical text *Moriae Encomium* (Praise of Folly). The print depicts two fools on a hunt, a playful yet pointed image that visually amplifies Erasmus’s critique of human folly, social pretensions, and institutional absurdities. Such illustrations helped readers visualize the book’s witty arguments, making abstract ideas more immediate and memorable for seventeenth-century audiences. The design traces back to drawings created around 1516 by Hans and Ambrosius Holbein for theologian Oswald Myconius. Merian’s etching faithfully reproduces these earlier works more than a century later, demonstrating how Renaissance imagery continued to resonate in later printed books. The intimate scale suits its role as a book illustration, inviting close inspection of the fine etched lines that convey both humor and moral commentary. As part of a long tradition of illustrated editions, the print underscores the enduring cultural importance of Erasmus’s text in European intellectual life. Its survival in this 1676 volume highlights the collaborative nature of book production, where artists across generations helped keep satirical literature vivid and accessible.