Emblematic ecstasy
Excerpt from the book 'Théâtre d'amour. The garden of love and its delights'. By Carsten-Peter Warncke
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Also appearing in isolation are two sheets by an unknown engraver depicting Generosity (Liberalitas, fol. 119) and Diligence (Diligentia, fol. 120), which may belong to a larger series of personifications of Noble Virtues. They demonstrate that the world of allegory in the Renaissance era embraced a wide range of forms, and so it is no surprise that there are scenes in our album that do not slot easily into specific categories. It is these very engravings, however, that lend the anthology its particular charm, as they fuse imagery from the Christian heritage with the mythology of antiquity. Pallas Athena, for example, the Greek goddess of wisdom, traditionally served as the personification of civilized life - as in an engraving by Boetius Adam Bolswert after a design by Abraham Bloemaert (fol. 134) - and also as the victor over Barbarism, as engraved by Jean Dubrayet (fol. 135). To some degree a pendant to Pallas Athena are the Three Graces, the idealized beauties of antiquity who, during the Renaissance in particular, were widely used to symbolize the arts. They appear in two separate engravings in the present collection, but interpreted in an earthier light (fols. 131, 136). So too the allegory of love featuring Bacchus, Ceres and Venus (fol. 57), equally famous in its own day, delivers a down-to-earth message. While these may seem only loosely linked with the theme of "Jestings on Love", they have a place - as the Virtues and Vices show - within the Christian worldview and lead on in our album to the sacrament of marriage. Three sheets by an unknown engraver illustrate the different motivations behind marriage and how they are to be judged (fols. 74-76). Ultimately, however, all human life and endeavour is overshadowed by transience, probably the most characteristic allegorical theme of the era and represented in our anthology in three engravings particularly typical of their genre. The first (fol. 113) is an engraving after a design by Karel van Mander, who as well as being a painter was also the most important Netherlandish writer on art of the early 17th century and author of the Schilderboeck published in 1604. The second and third engravings offer two particularly interesting variants of the widely used allegory of Vanitas, the infant with the skull (fols. 112, 132).
Representing an entirely different category of emblem are six engravings of historical scenes drawn from mythology and the Bible (fols. 79, 114, 121, 133, 136, 137). In the art theory of the Renaissance, history painting was esteemed as the highest of all the genres. It was thought to place the greatest demands upon the artist, whom it required to translate a historical event into the bearing and behaviour of the actors involved. It was at the same time suitable for expressing a complex content; it is by no means rare to find a deeper, usually moralizing message being delivered under the guise of history. One such engraving in our album was designed by Karel van Mander and depicts the Old Testament story of Lot and his daughters, a classic tale of incest (fol. 79). Illicit sexual relations are also a prominent theme of a series of copperplate engravings executed between 1590 and 1595 by Agostino Carracci, the brother of Annibale Carracci, master of the Galleria Farnese in Rome. Entitled the Lascivie (Debaucheries), their liberal subject matter aroused the displeasure of Pope Clement VIII but great interest amongst collectors.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Also appearing in isolation are two sheets by an unknown engraver depicting Generosity (Liberalitas, fol. 119) and Diligence (Diligentia, fol. 120), which may belong to a larger series of personifications of Noble Virtues. They demonstrate that the world of allegory in the Renaissance era embraced a wide range of forms, and so it is no surprise that there are scenes in our album that do not slot easily into specific categories. It is these very engravings, however, that lend the anthology its particular charm, as they fuse imagery from the Christian heritage with the mythology of antiquity. Pallas Athena, for example, the Greek goddess of wisdom, traditionally served as the personification of civilized life - as in an engraving by Boetius Adam Bolswert after a design by Abraham Bloemaert (fol. 134) - and also as the victor over Barbarism, as engraved by Jean Dubrayet (fol. 135). To some degree a pendant to Pallas Athena are the Three Graces, the idealized beauties of antiquity who, during the Renaissance in particular, were widely used to symbolize the arts. They appear in two separate engravings in the present collection, but interpreted in an earthier light (fols. 131, 136). So too the allegory of love featuring Bacchus, Ceres and Venus (fol. 57), equally famous in its own day, delivers a down-to-earth message. While these may seem only loosely linked with the theme of "Jestings on Love", they have a place - as the Virtues and Vices show - within the Christian worldview and lead on in our album to the sacrament of marriage. Three sheets by an unknown engraver illustrate the different motivations behind marriage and how they are to be judged (fols. 74-76). Ultimately, however, all human life and endeavour is overshadowed by transience, probably the most characteristic allegorical theme of the era and represented in our anthology in three engravings particularly typical of their genre. The first (fol. 113) is an engraving after a design by Karel van Mander, who as well as being a painter was also the most important Netherlandish writer on art of the early 17th century and author of the Schilderboeck published in 1604. The second and third engravings offer two particularly interesting variants of the widely used allegory of Vanitas, the infant with the skull (fols. 112, 132).
Representing an entirely different category of emblem are six engravings of historical scenes drawn from mythology and the Bible (fols. 79, 114, 121, 133, 136, 137). In the art theory of the Renaissance, history painting was esteemed as the highest of all the genres. It was thought to place the greatest demands upon the artist, whom it required to translate a historical event into the bearing and behaviour of the actors involved. It was at the same time suitable for expressing a complex content; it is by no means rare to find a deeper, usually moralizing message being delivered under the guise of history. One such engraving in our album was designed by Karel van Mander and depicts the Old Testament story of Lot and his daughters, a classic tale of incest (fol. 79). Illicit sexual relations are also a prominent theme of a series of copperplate engravings executed between 1590 and 1595 by Agostino Carracci, the brother of Annibale Carracci, master of the Galleria Farnese in Rome. Entitled the Lascivie (Debaucheries), their liberal subject matter aroused the displeasure of Pope Clement VIII but great interest amongst collectors.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Théâtre d'amour
Hardcover, 18.5 x 25.3 cm (7.3 x 10 in.), 352 pages
$ 34.99
$ 34.99
A heartwarming album of romantic illustrations
Fol. 112: An allegory of Vanitas