Schijnbedrieger met de prent Die licht gelooft wort licht bedrogen - D.F. Robart

A detailed trompe-l'oeil quodlibet by D.F. Robart, featuring a collection of scattered prints and maps arranged on a patterned background.

This work is a fine example of a 'quodlibet', a genre of trompe-l'oeil art designed to deceive the eye by depicting a collection of scattered objects, such as prints, maps, and documents, arranged on a flat surface. D.F. Robart employs this technique to create a visual puzzle, where the viewer is invited to examine individual items as if they were physically resting upon a patterned textile background. The composition includes various small-scale engravings, including architectural studies, a map fragment, and a portrait of a figure blowing a horn, all layered to suggest depth and tactile reality.

The central element is a print titled 'Die licht gelooft wort licht bedrogen' (He who believes lightly is easily deceived), a reference to a work by the Dutch master Gerard de Lairesse. This inclusion adds a layer of intellectual irony, as the entire image is itself a deception, a common theme in eighteenth-century Dutch art. The artist uses precise, thin lines to define the edges of the papers, creating shadows that anchor the objects to the background. The muted colour palette, punctuated by subtle washes of yellow and brown, maintains the illusion of aged paper and ink.

Quodlibets were popular among collectors who appreciated the technical skill required to render such complex arrangements. By presenting these disparate elements, the artist comments on the nature of perception and the ease with which the human eye can be misled by artifice. The patterned background, featuring a repeating floral motif, provides a neutral stage for the chaotic arrangement of the prints, allowing the viewer to focus on the individual details of each depicted document. This print offers a glimpse into the visual culture of the period, where the accumulation of knowledge and curiosities was a common pursuit among the educated classes.