Van de Venne (Adriaen)

Middelburg, , 1618.
a charming scene of childhood exuberance, engraved to illustrate the poem, ‘Kinder Spel’, or ‘Children’s Games’, by Jacob Cats (1577-1640), published by Hans van der Hellen in 1618. The delightfully drawn children, in a range of lively poses, demonstrate the fourteen games and pastimes listed in the poem, including rolling a hoop, walking on stilts, playing marbles, skipping, amongst others, and also has the first known depiction of kite-flying in European art. The scene is set in the garden square in front of the Court of Zeeland in Middelburg, where the poet lived at the time..
210 by 295mm (8¼ by 11½ inches).