The exhibition reveals publishers' love for their trade, and how they have motivated artists, printers and designers in the past and present to create top-quality products.

THE BAROQUE BOOK: A HAPPY JOINT CREATION OF BALTHASAR MORETUS AND PETER PAUL RUBENS

The sixteenth century saw the emergence of many new types of book. This was due in large part to publishers such as the Plantin-Moretus family. They sought ways of recording and arranging new knowledge and ideas on paper. They thought about how texts could be typeset more effectively, the relationship between image and text, what a title page is and other questions. This was how the book originated largely in the form that we know it today.

Balthasar Moretus took the next major step in the development of book architecture: he started using leading artists for book design. For instance, he commissioned Peter Paul Rubens to provide the illustrations for his new prayer books. And the likes of Erasmus Quellinus, Karel de Mallery, Peeter de Jode and Abraham Van Diepenbeeck also supplied Balthasar Moretus with designs for title pages and illustrations.

THE EXHIBITION

The exhibition reveals publishers’ love for their trade, and how they have motivated artists, printers and designers in the past and present to create top-quality products. With a lecture series, workshops, and collection and workshop visits, the museum conveys this passion to its visitors. During Kunstendag voor Kinderen (Art Day for Children) and Dag van de wetenschap (Science Day), we invite designers and printers to work with the public.