A later edition of Zincgref’s beautifully illustrated emblem book, first published in 1619; this edition has text in Latin, French and German
Emblem books were a hallmark of humanist Renaissance literature, the most well-known of these being Andrea Alciato’s Emblemata (1531). Influenced by various sources from classical knowledge to medieval bestiary and combining the visual with the poetic, emblem books were both used as a source of entertainment as well as edification.
The present work’s author, Julius Wilhelm Zincgref (1591-1635), was a German poet, essayist and satirist. He studied law in various institutions throughout Europe, and he was also active in a humanist literary circle that included, among others, Martin Optiz, Jacob Creutz, Janus Gebhardt, Heinrich Albert Hamilton and Balthasar Venator. Zincgref’s works typically included themes of politics, Palatinate independence and German linguistic purity, with his most successful work being a collection of witticisms and anecdotes entitled Der Teutschen Scharpfsinnige kluge Sprüch (1626).
Emblematum Ethico-Politicorum Centuria‘s fine engravings by Matthaus Merian often contain well-known city views in the background, including one of Syracuse with Mount Aetna erupting, two of Basel, one of Rome with the Colosseum as well as several with the city and castle of Heidelberg, Zincgref’s home town.
First few pages loosening, light foxing, top margin cut a bit short on a few pages, not affecting text. Engraving on pp. 59 printed upside down.
Landwehr, German, 659.
