AFTEKENING (n. f.)
TERM USED IN EARLY TRANSLATIONS
/FILTERS
LINKED QUOTATIONS
Quotation
Die ghene dan de welcke haere ooghen door de daghelicksche oeffeningh van een ghestaedighe opmerckinghe tot dese onmoeyelicke vaerdigheyd van een onwedersprekelick oordeel ghebraght hebben, plagten de meeste kracht haerer Konst-kennisse daer in voornaemelick te bewijsen, datse d’originelen staends-voets van de copijen weten t’onderscheyden. d’Oorspronckelicke wercken die de treffelicke Meesters nae ’t leven selver ghemaeckt hebben, worden alhier door de naem van originele stucken te verstaen ghegeven; de copijen daer en teghen en sijn anders niet dan d’afteyckeninghen, ofte uytdrucksels, ofte afsetsels, ofte naemaelsels diemen nae ’t oorspronckelicke stuck heeft afgheteyckent en naeghemaelt. De rechtsinnighe Konst-kenners plaghten oversulcks ind’oorspronckelicke stucken de volkomene kracht van een levendige bevalligheyd te vernemen; daerse nochtans in de naemaecksels maer allen in de ghebrekelicke lammigheyd van een ontleende welstandigheyd ghewaer te worden. Daer is altijd een bevallighe lustigheyd in alle origineelen te vinden, segt Dionisius Halicarnassensis {In Dimarcho.}, de ghecopieerde stucken daer en teghen, al sijnse noch soo wel uytghedruckt, plagten uyt het een of het ander uyt te wijsen het welck al te seer bearbeydt sijnde uyt de nature niet en schijnt voord te komen. […]
[Suggested translation, Marije Osnabrugge:] Those who have developed their eyes to this tireless ability of an incontradictable judgement through the daily practice of a steady observation, tend to demonstrate the most power of their knowledge of art by knowing to immediately distinguish the originals from the copies. The original works that the competent Masters have made after life itself, are understood here wit the term of original pieces; the copies on the other hand are nothing else than the drawings after it, or the offprints, or casts, or paintings after it that one has drawn or painted after the original piece. The frank Art-connoisseurs tend to perceive the complete power of a lively gracefulness in the original pieces; while they only become aware of the defective wretchedness of a flawed lifelessness in the fakes. There is always a graceful pleasure to be found in all the originals, says Dionisius Halicarnessensis {…}, the copied pieces on the other hand, as competently expressed as they may be, tend to show by one element or another that is too cultivated, to not be originating from nature. […]
The Dutch terms afteykeningh, uytdrucksel, afsetsel, naemaecksel and naemaelsel, all referring to a copy after the original, are difficult to translate directly to English. I have chosen to use a descriptive translation, which should only serve the user as a suggestion. [MO]
Conceptual field(s)
Quotation
Soo staet oock aen te mercken dat sich de Schilder-Konst tot veele dinghen uytstreckt; en selfs de alder-naeuwkeurighste Natuyr-beschryvers noodigh werdt. {Schilder-Konst noodigh aen de natuerbeschrijvers.} En wy sien hoe dickwils de Leer-Meesters die moeten te hulpe roepen, en hoese om de Natuer der dinghen te beschryven, sijn ghedwonghen tot de af-teyckeningh van Menschen, Vogelen, Visschen, ende kruypende Gedierten te komen: […]
De Bouw-Meesters seght Vitruvius moeten seer wel inde Teyken-kunde ervaren wesen, op dat sy de hoedanigheyt van haer voorgenomen Werk, met alle sijn omslagh en Ornamenten, te gemackelijker in een Vertoogh-Schets, souden konnen voor-stellen.
De Landt-Meters, Wereldt-Beschryvers en Sterre-Konstenaers, hebben van outs her door de Teycken-kunde alles geestigh weten Af-te-beelden. […]
[suggested translation, Marije Osnabrugge:] As such one may remark that the Art of Painting extends to many things; and is even necessary to the most precise describers of Nature. {The Art of Painting is necessary to the describers of nature.} And we see how often the Teachers have to ask for its assistance, and how they are forced to drawing after Humans, Birds, Fishes, and crawling creatures, in order to describe the Nature of things: […] The Architects, says Vitruvius, have to be very experienced in the Art of Drawing, in order for them to be able to show the nature of their proposed Work, with all its extras and Ornaments, in an easier way by means of a sketch. The Cartographers, Describers of the World and Star-Artists [ndr: Astronomers], have always known to portray everything in a clever way with the Art of Drawing. […]
Goeree continues to list different uses of drawings and paintings, until page 31. [MO]