The Silversmith
Author: Luiken, Jan, 1649-1712
Image Title: The Silversmith
Scripture Reference:
- Proverbs 17 (further images / scripture text)
Description: The silversmith pours silver, which was melted in the burning forge, into a mold that is clamped on both sides by metal bindings. An apprentice uses the bellows to increase the heat of the forge. A second silversmith hammers a silver object on an anvil. The Dutch artist and poet Jan Luiken (1649-1712) was responsible for drawing this emblem and for creating the motto and poem that follow. Jan Luiken and/or his son Casper Luiken (1672-1708) were responsible for its etching. The attendant scripture text is Proverbs 17:3.
Motto:
However noble the material,
Still much too coarse.
Poem:
White silver, too much beloved
By the heart that is worldly minded,
Thou couldst not satisfy the hunger
Of the discerning and judging soul,
Whose desire fell upon thy source,
So as to overwhelm itself with riches.
(Translation by Josephine V. Brown, with editorial assistance from William G. Stryker)
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