A 16th-century Dutch engraving depicting a scene from the Parable of the Great Banquet, based on a design by Maarten van Heemskerck.

This engraving, titled Eerste voorwendsel: de nieuwe akker, is a work by the Dutch humanist, engraver, and poet Dirck Volckertsz. Coornhert. The composition is based on a design by Maarten van Heemskerck, a prominent figure in the Northern Renaissance. The scene depicts a biblical parable, specifically the Parable of the Great Banquet from the Gospel of Luke, where a guest declines an invitation by claiming he has purchased a field and must inspect it.

The print displays the technical precision characteristic of 16th-century Dutch engraving. Two figures dominate the foreground: one dressed in elaborate, flowing robes and the other in more rugged, practical attire. They stand before a fortified gate, with a rural settlement and agricultural activity visible in the background. The artist employs a dense network of cross-hatching to define the textures of the stone walls, the folds of the garments, and the undulating terrain. The perspective is constructed to guide the eye from the foreground interaction toward the distant, detailed village architecture.

Coornhert was known for his intellectual engagement with moral and religious themes. This work functions as a visual interpretation of human excuses and worldly distractions. The Latin inscription at the base, 'Villam emi et necesse habeo exire et videre illam, rogo te: habe me excusatum', translates to 'I have bought a field, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused'. The print reflects the period's interest in combining classical artistic techniques with didactic storytelling. The work is a fine example of the collaborative nature of print production in the Netherlands during this era, where the roles of the inventor, the engraver, and the publisher were distinct.