OVERWERCK (n. n.)
TERM USED IN EARLY TRANSLATIONS
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LINKED QUOTATIONS
Quotation
De Parerga ofte overwercken sijn dinghen die tot het werck worden toeghevoeght om het selvige te vercieren, seght Quintil. II.3. Plinius geeft ons het selvighe mede te verstaen; Als Protogenes t’Athenen int Kerck-poortael van Minervas tempel het vermaerde Schip Paralus schilderde, seght hy {Lib. xxxv. Cap.10.}, met t’saemen een ander Schip het welck Hemionis geheeten wirt, soo heeft hy noch ettelicke kleyne Galeyen, onder die dingen toegevoegt, de welcke van de Schilders Parerga worden ghenaemt. […] Philostratus {Iconum Lib. I. in Piscatorib.} schijnt sodaenighe toevoeghsels in een tafereel de sauce der Schilderije ghenaemt te hebben. Maer aenghesien vele Konstenaers dese en dierghelijcke overwercken menighmael haestighlick en met een lichte hand plaghten af te klaeren, soo ist dat wy de selvighe heel selden met eenen aendachtigen ernst besichtighen:
[Suggested translation, Marije Osnabrugge:] The Parerga or ornaments are things that are added to the work to adorn it, says Quintilianus (…). Plinius has told us the same; When Protogenes painted the famous Ship Paralus in the portal of the temple of Minerva in Athens, he says {…}, together with another Ship which is called Hemionis, as such he has added many more small galleys underneath them, which are called Parerga by the Painters. (…) Philostratus {…} appears to have called such additions to a scene ‘the sauce of a Painting’. But seen that many Artists oftentimes tend to fix these and similar ornaments in a hurry and with a light hand, as such we seldom watch them with an attentive seriousness;
As a last addition to his text, Junius briefly discusses the additions (parergon, overwerk, toevoegsel) to art works. He explains that these additions, used to adorn (versieren) as well as complement the main subject of an art work, are unfortunately often neglected and hurried through by artists. Junius uses the metaphor 'de sauce der schilderye' to describe this phenomenon. In the Latin edition, this is cited as ‘condimenta picturae’. In the English edition, it is ‘sweet seasonings of picture’. [MO]