Gedicht ter ere van het vijfentwintigjarig jubileum van Coenraad Kerbert bij dierentuin Artis - Bernard Willem Wierink

A commemorative lithograph by Bernard Willem Wierink, featuring elegant botanical borders and typography celebrating the tenure of Coenraad Kerbert at Artis Zoo.

This lithographic print by Bernard Willem Wierink commemorates the twenty-five-year tenure of Coenraad Kerbert at the Artis Royal Zoo in Amsterdam. Wierink, a Dutch artist known for his contributions to the decorative arts and graphic design, employs a clean, balanced layout that reflects the aesthetic principles of the early twentieth century. The composition centres on a Dutch poem, framed by two distinct decorative borders that utilise stylised botanical motifs.

The upper border features a large, ornamental initial letter A, integrated into a horizontal panel of fruit-bearing branches. The lower border displays a rhythmic, repeating pattern of tulip-like flowers, demonstrating the artist's ability to simplify natural forms into geometric, decorative elements. The use of a single, muted blue ink against a cream-coloured paper stock provides a sense of clarity and understated elegance, typical of commemorative ephemera from this period.

Coenraad Kerbert served as the director of the Artis zoo, and this piece functions as a formal tribute to his leadership. The text praises his dedication and guidance, acknowledging his role in shaping the institution. Wierink's design choices, particularly the balanced spacing and the integration of text with illustrative borders, show a clear influence from the Arts and Crafts movement, which advocated for the unity of typography and design. This print is a fine example of how graphic design was used to elevate official documents into objects of visual interest. It captures a specific moment in the history of one of Europe's oldest zoos, rendered through the lens of Dutch Art Nouveau design.