Emblems

Andrea Alciati (1492-1550):
MEDIOLANUM . Emblema II. pag. 54
from The Book of Emblems ( Antverpiae: Ex officina Christophori Plantini, 1577)[Ed.: Claude Mignault; 1536-1606]
13,8 x 8,7 cm

Andrea Alciati (1492-1550):
Silentium. Emblema XI. pag. 89
from The Book of Emblems ( Antverpiae: Ex officina Christophori Plantini, 1577)[Ed.: Claude Mignault; 1536-1606]
13,8 x 8,7 cm

Andrea Alciato's Emblematum liber or Book of Emblems had enormous influence and popularity in the 16th and 17th centuries.

It is a collection of 212 Latin emblem poems, each consisting of a motto (a proverb or other short enigmatic expression), a picture, and an epigrammatic text. Alciato's book was first published in 1531.

For more information see The Glasgow University Emblem Site

For a translation and commentary on some of the emblems, see

"Claude Mignault of Dijon: Theoretical Writings on the Emblem: a Critical Edition, with apparatus and notes."By Denis Drysdall