1631 1st Edition (Paris) ,
LES EMBLEMES D'AMOUR DIVIN ET HUMAIN ENSEMBLE
Expliquez par des vers francois Par un Pere Capucin
A complete and beautifully preserved seventeenth-century French emblem book: 118 full-page copper engravings pairing symbolic images of divine vs. earthly love with Latin lemmata and French moral verse. The plates feature winged cupids and angelic children set amid temptation, vanity, demons, death, apparitions, and everyday pursuits — a visual theology designed to be read allegorically, and a striking example of Counter-Reformation emblem literature.
Engravings after Michael Snijders (1586–1672), Gillis van Schoor (1596–1637), Karel van Mallery (1571–1635) and other Flemish artists (as traditionally catalogued).
By “Un Père Capucin”
Synopsis: Author / work context:
This emblemata belongs to the Counter-Reformation tradition of “fishing for souls”, using striking imagery to contrast the lures and perils of earthly love with the consolations of divine love. The plates feature winged cupids / angelic children amidst temptation, vanity, demons, death, apparitions, and everyday pursuits — a visual theology designed to be read allegorically. The broader tradition is closely associated with Herman Hugo (1588–1629) and the immense popularity of Pia Desideria; early related Latin series were issued in Antwerp before the expanded French Paris edition.
Synopsis:
A compact treasure-house of Baroque devotional symbolism. Each emblem presents a vivid copper-engraved scene with a Latin motto and a French verse explanation, inviting meditation on desire, temptation, mortality, grace, and the transformation of human affection into spiritual love. The wider tradition sits alongside the success of Herman Hugo’s Pia Desideria and related Antwerp emblem series, with this Paris printing representing the fully expanded French emblem suite.
Format: Hardcover, duodecimo or twelvemo (12mo 5 × 7+3⁄8 127 × 187)
Collation: [2], 118 leaves. Complete: engraved title/frontispiece + 118 numbered full-page emblem engravings; with Approbation dated 20 Septembre 1631; and errata leaf.
Language: French / Latin
Published By: Chez Jean Messager, ruë S. Jacques à l’Esperance. Avec Privilège du Roy., Paris
Condition Report:
Dust Jacket: No Jacket, Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Very Good - Later (c.1850) full leather binding, tight and solid, hinges sound, no looseness. All edges gilt (triple gilt). With vibrant 19th-century marbled endpapers in a bold Spanish/stormont swirl pattern. Internally very clean for the period: no dampstaining/tidelines, no spotting, and no tears. Paper shows overall age toning with occasional localized discoloration to some leaves (as expected with 17th-century paper), but the engravings remain crisp and unaffected. Plate marks visible and margins remain comfortable (no loss to image, captions, or numbering). Contemporary/old pencil bibliographic note to front flyleaf (‘Complet… Titre et 118 fig…’). A handsome, collector-grade copy.
References
WorldCat (OCLC) 1048239590; USTC (related editions; incl. 1640); Landwehr Low Countries 33–36; Landwehr Romanic 272; Praz (Studies in 17th Century Imagery) p. 255 (and discussion pp. 147–148); Morgan Library & Museum PML 126349; Hollstein (Dutch and Flemish Engravings and Woodcuts 1450–1700) XXVI, p. 49..
Note: Format/size selection follows standard bibliographic conventions and is approximate; exact measurements may vary. Please see photos as part of condition report
SKU: BTETM0002695
Shipping Info: Approximate Package Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 30, W: 25 (Units: cm), W: 2Kg
Tracked Shipping, Insurance Coverage as per Customer Request
1631 1st Edition (Paris) ,
LES EMBLEMES D'AMOUR DIVIN ET HUMAIN ENSEMBLE
Expliquez par des vers francois Par un Pere Capucin
A complete and beautifully preserved seventeenth-century French emblem book: 118 full-page copper engravings pairing symbolic images of divine vs. earthly love with Latin lemmata and French moral verse. The plates feature winged cupids and angelic children set amid temptation, vanity, demons, death, apparitions, and everyday pursuits — a visual theology designed to be read allegorically, and a striking example of Counter-Reformation emblem literature.
Engravings after Michael Snijders (1586–1672), Gillis van Schoor (1596–1637), Karel van Mallery (1571–1635) and other Flemish artists (as traditionally catalogued).
By “Un Père Capucin”
Synopsis: Author / work context:
This emblemata belongs to the Counter-Reformation tradition of “fishing for souls”, using striking imagery to contrast the lures and perils of earthly love with the consolations of divine love. The plates feature winged cupids / angelic children amidst temptation, vanity, demons, death, apparitions, and everyday pursuits — a visual theology designed to be read allegorically. The broader tradition is closely associated with Herman Hugo (1588–1629) and the immense popularity of Pia Desideria; early related Latin series were issued in Antwerp before the expanded French Paris edition.
Synopsis:
A compact treasure-house of Baroque devotional symbolism. Each emblem presents a vivid copper-engraved scene with a Latin motto and a French verse explanation, inviting meditation on desire, temptation, mortality, grace, and the transformation of human affection into spiritual love. The wider tradition sits alongside the success of Herman Hugo’s Pia Desideria and related Antwerp emblem series, with this Paris printing representing the fully expanded French emblem suite.
Format: Hardcover, duodecimo or twelvemo (12mo 5 × 7+3⁄8 127 × 187)
Collation: [2], 118 leaves. Complete: engraved title/frontispiece + 118 numbered full-page emblem engravings; with Approbation dated 20 Septembre 1631; and errata leaf.
Language: French / Latin
Published By: Chez Jean Messager, ruë S. Jacques à l’Esperance. Avec Privilège du Roy., Paris
Condition Report:
Dust Jacket: No Jacket, Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Very Good - Later (c.1850) full leather binding, tight and solid, hinges sound, no looseness. All edges gilt (triple gilt). With vibrant 19th-century marbled endpapers in a bold Spanish/stormont swirl pattern. Internally very clean for the period: no dampstaining/tidelines, no spotting, and no tears. Paper shows overall age toning with occasional localized discoloration to some leaves (as expected with 17th-century paper), but the engravings remain crisp and unaffected. Plate marks visible and margins remain comfortable (no loss to image, captions, or numbering). Contemporary/old pencil bibliographic note to front flyleaf (‘Complet… Titre et 118 fig…’). A handsome, collector-grade copy.
References
WorldCat (OCLC) 1048239590; USTC (related editions; incl. 1640); Landwehr Low Countries 33–36; Landwehr Romanic 272; Praz (Studies in 17th Century Imagery) p. 255 (and discussion pp. 147–148); Morgan Library & Museum PML 126349; Hollstein (Dutch and Flemish Engravings and Woodcuts 1450–1700) XXVI, p. 49..
Note: Format/size selection follows standard bibliographic conventions and is approximate; exact measurements may vary. Please see photos as part of condition report
SKU: BTETM0002695
Shipping Info: Approximate Package Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 30, W: 25 (Units: cm), W: 2Kg
Tracked Shipping, Insurance Coverage as per Customer Request
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