The Language of MA the primal MotherThe evolution of the female image in 40,000 years of global Venus ArtAnnine van der Meer, 592 p. 1300 ill. full color, ISBN 978-90-820313-8-6Den Haag, 2013; heruitgave Den Haag, 2015De Bijbel van Venuskunst; het boek voor vrouwelijke symbolen.1300... Venussen kleurrijk in beeld in een groot full color boek van 592 pagina's.1300... vrouwelijke topstukken uit vele culturen en musea gepresenteerd in één boek.1300... Venus-beauties, ieder voorzien van een num...

Throughout the late Middle Ages and the early modern period, the Low Countries were home to a vibrant tradition of lay philosophy in Dutch. Sparks of Reason takes a detailed look at this philosophical tradition, with a special focus on the sixteenth century. During this turbulent century, several authors, such as Dirck Volkertsz Coornhert (1522-1590) and Hendrik Laurensz Spiegel (1549-1612), developed a philosophy which was founded on rationality and self-motivation. This "Vernacular Rational...

Ethics, published (anonymously) by Coornhert in 1586, is a remarkable publication for a number of reasons: it is the first work on ethics written in a European vernacular; it is a mature work, appearing four years before Coornhert's death, and summarizes a lifetime of writing and thinking about the good life; it is considered to be fundamentally pagan because of the absence in Zedekunst of biblical references or any direct mention of Christ. Asked why he did not write about such things as the...