Alciato's Book of Emblems
The Order of the Emblems

This page gives you the subject divisions and titles used in the 16th and 17th centuries. We've added short descriptions of the images. Use your browser's search device to find a word or phrase.

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The Order of the Emblems

Deus, sive Religio (God or Religion) [4-8]
VIRTUTES (VIRTUES)

Fides (Faith) [9-13]

Prudentia (Prudence) [14-26]

Justitia (Justice) [27-32]

Fortitudo (Strength) [33-37]

Concordia (Harmony) [38-42]

Spes (Hope) [43-47]

VITIA (VICES)

Perfidia (Falsehood) [49-54]

Stultitia (Stupidity) [55-66]

Superbia (Pride) [67-71]

Luxuria (Lechery) [72-80]

Desidia (Idleness) [81-84]

Avaritia (Avarice) [85-90]

Gula (Gluttony) [91-97]

Natura (Nature) [98-101]
Astrologia (Astrology) [102-105]
Amor (Love) [106-118]
Fortuna (Fortune) [119-131]
Honor (Honour) [132-143]
Princeps (The Prince) [144-149]
Respublica (The Republic) [150-151]
Vita (Life) [152-153]
Mors (Death) [154-159]
Amicitia (Friendship) [160-163]
Hostilitas (Enmity) [164-171]
Vindicta (Vengeance) [172-176]
Pax (Peace) [177-179]
Scientia (Knowledge) [180-187]
Ignorantia (Ignorance) [188-190]
Matrimonia (Marriage) [191-198]
Arbores (Trees) [199-212]

The Emblem Titles

Insignia Ducatus Mediolanensis / On the shield of the Duke of Milan [snake, infant] / 1

Mediolanum / Milan [building of Milan; pig recovered from the ground] / 2

Nunquam procrastinandum / One ought never to procrastinate [elk] / 3

Deus sive religio (God or religion)

Sapientia humana, stultitia est apud Deum / Human wisdom is folly before the Lord [Cecrops] / 5

Ficta religio / False religion [Whore of Babylon] / 6

Non tibi, sed religioni / Not for you, but for religion [ass bearing mysteries] / 7

Qua Dii vocant, eundum / Where the gods call, there one must go [Mercury at the crossroads] / 8

VIRTUTES (VIRTUES)

Foedera / Treaties [lute] / 10

Silentium / Silence [scholar] / 11

Non vulganda consilia / Plans ought not to be divulged [Roman standard] / 12

Nec quaestioni quidem cedendum / One ought not to yield, even under torture [lioness] / 13

Prudentia (Prudence)

Vigilantia et custodia / Wakefulness and watchfulness [lions, cocks] / 15

[Nephe, kai memnes apizein arthra tauta ton phrenon] Sobrius esto, et memineris non temere credere: haec sunt membra mentis / Be sober and remember not to be too rashly credulous; these are the limbs of the mind [hand with eye] / 16

[Pê parebên; ti d' erexa; ti moi deon ouk etelesthê;] Lapsus ubi? quid feci? aut officii quid omissum est? / Where did I err? what did I accomplish? or what duty was left undone? [Pythagoras observes flying cranes who carry stones in their talons] / 17

Prudentes / Prudent ones [Janus] / 18

Prudens magis quam loquax / Wise, more than wordy [shield with owl] / 19

Maturandum / One ought to move swiftly [javelin entwined by remora] / 20

In deprehensum / On one having been caught [fisherman traps eel with fig-leaves] / 21

Custodiendas virgines / Virgins must be protected [Athena] / 22

Vino prudentiam augeri / That foresight is improved by wine [two statues: Athena and Bacchus] / 23

Prudentes vino absinent / Wise men abstain from wine [olive-tree entwined by grape-vine] / 24

In statuam Bacchi / On a statue of Bacchus [Bacchus in arbour beats on drum] / 25

Gramen / Grass [Quintus Fabius Maximus points to lark nesting in grass as garland of grass is placed upon his head] / 26

Iustitia (Justice)

Tandem tandem iustitia obtinet / At last, at last, justice prevails [tomb of Ajax on seashore, shield of Achilles is washed towards it] / 28

Etiam ferocissimos domari / Even the fiercest are overcome [Marc Antony in chariot pulled by lions] / 29

Gratiam referendam / A favour ought to be returned [stork brings food to young who nest on chimney top] / 30

Abstinentia / Abstinence [tomb with pitcher and basin] / 31

Bonis a divitibus nihil timendum / Good men ought to fear nothing from the rich [Zetes and Calais pursue three Harpies] / 32

Fortitudo (Strength)

[Anechou kai apechou] Sustine et abstine / Bear, and forbear [bull separated from cows by farmer] / 34

In adulari nescientem / On one who knows not how to flatter [horseman restrains his horse] / 35

Obdurandum adversus urgentia / One must persist against oppressions [date-palm weighted down by boy] 36

Omnia mea mecum porto / I carry all my things with me [naked Scythian (odd, because the emblem is about the clothing of the Scythian)] / 37

Concordia (Harmony)

Concordia / Harmony [armed soldiers shake hands] / 39

Concordia insuperabilis / Unconquerable harmony [six-armed Geryon ready for battle] / 40

Unum nihil, duos plurimum posse / One man can do nothing, two can do much [Diomedes and Ulysses] / 41

Firmissima convelli non posse / What stands firmest cannot be overthrown [two winds blow off its leaves, but the oak-tree stands firm] 42

Spes (Hope)

In simulacrum Spei / On an image of Hope [Hope holding weapons is seated on cask, her companions a crow, Nemesis, Good Outcome, and Cupid are nearby] / 44

In dies meliora / Better things to come [pig roots in earth, farmer points to columns "plus oltre [ultra]"] / 45

Illicitum non sperandum / The forbidden is not be hoped for [Hope with bow, wand, and barrel; Nemesis with bridle and rule] / 46

Pudicitia / Chastity [shield with bird ("porphyrio")] / 47

VITIA (VICES)

In fraudulentos / Against deceivers [spotted lizard] / 49

Dolus in suos / Deceit against one's own [fowlers use decoy to trap birds with net] / 50

Maledicentia / Slanderous words [wasps on tomb of Archilocus] / 51

In receptatores sicariorum / Against those who harbour assassins [Actaeon] / 52

In adulatores / Against flatterers [chameleon] / 53

Ei, qui semel sua prodegerit, aliena credi non oportere / It does not behoove one who has been careless with his own to be trusted with the things of others [Medea] / 54

Stultitia (Stupidity)

In temerarios / Against the reckless [Phaeton] / 56

Furor et rabies / Anger and rage [Agamemnon] / 57

In eos, qui supra vires quicquam audent / Against those who dare anything beyond their strength [Hercules and pygmies] / 58

Impossibile / The impossible [Ethiopian] / 59

Cuculi / Cuckoos [Cuckoo] / 60

Vespertilio / The bat [bat] / 61

Aliud de eodem [vespertilio] / Another, on the bat [bat] / 62

Ira / Wrath [lion cornered by dogs and hunters beats himself with this tail] / 63

In eum, qui sibi damnum apparat / On one who seems damned by himself [she-goat nursing wolf-cub] / 64

Fatuitas / Foolishness [fowler seizes owl] / 65

Oblivio paupertatis parens / Forgetfulness, parent of poverty [lynx neglects food in favour of other prey] / 66

Superbia (Pride)

Impudentia / Shamelessness [Scylla] / 68

[Philautia] / Self-love [Narcissus] / 69

Garrulitas / Chattiness [reclining man addresses swallow] / 70

Invidia / Envy [Envy] / 71

Luxuria (Lechery)

Luxuriosorum opes / The wealth of the dissolute [fig-tree with crows and ravens] / 73

Tumulus meretricis / The tomb of a prostitute [tomb; lionness attacks ram] / 74

In amatores meretricum / Against the lovers of prostitutes [fisherman, as goat, nets fish] / 75

Cavendum a meretricibus / One ought to beware of prostitutes [Circe] / 76

Amuletum Veneris / The amulet of Venus [Venus covers Adonis with lettuce] / 77

Inviolabiles telo Cupidinis / Those immune to Cupid's arrow [bird (the "motacilla") flies within two narrow circles] / 78

Lascivia / Lasciviousness [richly attired woman] / 79

Adversus naturam peccantes / Those sinning against nature [woman defecates in vessel for food] / 80

Desidia (Idleness)

Desidiam abiiciendam / That idleness ought to be thrown aside [idle men in conversation] / 82

In facile a virtute desciscentes / Against those who fall easily from virtue [remora holds back ship] / 83

Ignavi / Lazy men [Asterias the slave, transformed to heron; Ardelio, the busybody, flies overhead as falcon] / 84

Avaritia (Avarice)

In avaros / Against misers [ass with food on back eats thistles] / 86

In aulicos / Against courtiers [courtier in stocks] / 87

In sordidos / Against unclean men [ibis puts beak in anus] / 88

In divites publico malo / Against the wealthy, by public mischief [eel fisherman muddy waters] / 89

In avaros, vel quibus melior conditio ab extraneis offertur / Against greedy men: or, those to whom a better situation is offered by strangers [Arion and dolphin] / 90

Gula (Gluttony)

Ocni effigies, de iis qui meretricibus donant, quod in bonos usus verti debeat / The picture of Ocnus: on those who give to prostitutes what ought to be turned to good use [Ocnus the rope-maker; ass eats the rope] / 92

In parasitos / On parasites / 93

Parvam culinam duobus ganeonibus non sufficere / For two gluttons, a small kitchen does not suffice [two birds fight over possession of a tree] / 94

Captivus ob gulam / Trapped by gluttony [mouse trapped in oyster shell] / 95

In garrulam et gulosum / Against the garrulous and the gluttonous man [pelican] / 96

Doctorum agnomina / The nicknames of professors [professor addressing scholars from podium] / 97

Natura (Nature)

Ars naturam adiuvans / Art aiding nature [Mercury with caduceus, Fortune on globe, with cornucopia] / 99

In iuventam / On youth [Apollo and Bacchus] / 100

In quatuor anni tempora / On the four seasons of the year [four birds: fringilla, hirundo, cuculus, ficedula (robin, swallow, cuckoo, beccaficos)] / 101

Astrologia (Astrology)

Quae supra nos, nihil ad nos / That which is above us is nothing to us [Prometheus] / 103

In astrologos / On astrologers [Icarus] / 104

Qui alta contemplantur, cadere / Those who contemplate the heights, fall [hunter looses bow at crane; snake bites his leg] / 105

Amor (Love)

Potentia Amoris / The power of Love [Amor holds fish and bunch of flowers] / 107

Vis amoris / The force of Love [Amor holds broken thunder-bolt] / 108

In studiosum, captum amore / On a scholar, overcome by love [scholar with Athena on one side points to Venus and Amor on the other] / 109

[Anteros], id est, Amor virtutis / Anteros, which is the love of virtue [Anteros seated with four garlands] / 110

[Anteros], Amor virtutis, alium Cupidinem superans / Anteros: the love of virtue overcoming the other Cupid [Anteros binds Amor to tree while Amor's weapons burn] / 111

Dulcia quandoque amara fieri / Sometimes sweet things become bitter [Amor, chased by bees, runs to Venus] / 112

Fere simile ex Theocrito / Almost the same, out of Theocritus [Amor, chased by bees, flies to his mother] / 113

In statuam Amoris / On a statue of Love [Amor stands holding shield with figure of pomegranate] / 114

In oblivionem patriae / On forgetting one's homeland [Ulysses stands over his men, sleeping at base of lotus tree] / 115

Sirenes / Sirens [Sirens, Ulysses tied to mast of ship] / 116

Senex puellam amans / An old man in love with a maiden [Sophocles, an old man, with hand on breast of Archippe, the young maiden; in distance, owl stands on chest of corpse] / 117

In colores / On colours [Dyer at work before a steaming dying tank] / 118

Fortuna (Fortune)

Fortuna virtutem superans / Fortune overcoming virtue [Brutus stabs himself with dagger] / 120

Paupertatem summis ingeniis obesse, ne provehantur / Poverty hinders the greatest talents from advancing [man, winged arm raised upward, other arm weighed down by stone] / 121

In Occasionem / On Opportunity [Occasion, bald with forelock, razor, on winged globe] / 122

In subitum terrorem / On sudden terror [Pan with horn, horsemen flee] / 123

In illaudata laudantes / On those who praise what is not worthy of praise [elephant, trophies of war] / 124

In momentaneam felicitatem / On brief happiness [pine-tree encircled by vine with gourds] / 125

Ex damno alterius, alterius utilitas / One man's loss is another man's gain [vulture looks down at battling lion and boar] / 126

Bonis auspiciis incipiendum / One ought to begin with good omens [man with pack on back confronted by weasel] / 127

Nihil reliqui / Nothing's left [locusts on cornfield] / 128

Male parte, male dilabuntur / Ill gotten, ill spent [kite regurgitates intestines while another kite looks on] / 129

Semper praesto esse infortunia / Misfortunes are always at hand [three women at gambling table, one just having been struck by a collapsing roof] / 130

Remedia in arduo, mala in prono esse / There are benefits in what is difficult, evils in what is easy [three litae wave at the flying Ate] / 131

Honor (Honor) Ex arduis perpetuum nomen / From difficulties, lasting fame [snake devours the sparrow's young] / 132

Ex litterarum studiis immortalitatem acquiri / That immortality is attained by literary studies [Triton blows his horn, surrounded by oroboros] / 133

Tumulus Ioannis Galeacii Vicecomitis / The tomb of Giangaleazzo Visconti, first duke of Milan [funeral mound with soldier at top, holding staff with helmet and snake spitting forth a child, the mound with tryptich, Italy in centre panel] / 134

Optimus civis / The finest citizen [Thrasybulus is crowned with olive] / 135

Strenuorum immortale nomen / The immortal fame of men of action [Thetis places amaranth on the tomb of Achilles] / 136

Nobiles et generosi / Noble, and well-born [An Athenian, marked by a shoulder fastening in form of cricket, and a Roman, with moon on boots, sit facing one another] / 137

Duodecim certamiva Herculis. [Allegorikos] / The twelve labours of Hercules. Allegorically. [Hercules, surrounded by signs of his twelve labours] / 138

In nothos / On bastards [Jupiter holds the baby Hercules to the breast of sleeping Juno] / 139

Imparilitas / Inequality [duck, goose, jackdaw feed on the ground, while the falcon flies overhead] / 140

In desciscentes / On those who fall away [she-goat knocks over pail of her own milk] / 141

Aemulatio impar / Unequal rivalry [kite bothers falcon holding rabbit; in sea below, a large fish chases smaller fish] / 142

Albutii ad D. Alciatum, suadentis, et de tumultibus Italicis se subducat, et in Gallia profiteatur / From Albutius to Master Alciatus, persuading him to withdraw from the conflicts of Italy and to teach in France [man carrying platter of fruit, walks away from fruit-laden tree] / 143

Princeps (The Prince)

In Senatum boni princeps / On the senate of a good prince [blind king sits before advisors without hands, also seated] / 145

Consiliarii principum / The counsellors of princes [Chiron the centaur schoolmaster of Achilles] / 146

Opulentia tyranni, paupertas subiectorum / The wealth of a tyrant is the poverty of his subjects [naked woman reclines on bed] / 147

Quod non capit Christus, rapit fiscus / What Christ does not take, the treasury seizes [king squeezes sponge; thieves (the king had himself advanced) hang from a distant gibbet] / 148

Principis clementia / The mercy of the prince [king of the wasps (sic, for bees) before his hive] / 149

Respublica (The Republic)

Respublica liberata / The republic set free [coin of Brutus, with two daggers, freedman's cap, and "id"(ibus) "mar"(tiis) or ides of March written between] / 151

Vita (Life)

Aere quandoque salutem redimendam / Safety should at times be bought with money [beaver pursued by hunter and dogs bites off its testicles] / 153

Mors (Death)

De Morte et Amore / On Death and Love [Amor and Death have mistakenly confused their arrows; Amor has killed a young man; Death has given love to an old man who escorts a young woman] / 155

In formosam fato praereptam / On a beautiful maiden snatched away by fate [Eros or Amor or Cupid is asleep under a tree and beside him are hourglass and scythe; Death holds the bow and arrow] / 156

In mortem praeproperam / On too early death [tomb, decorated with Gorgon's head flanked by two dolphins] / 157

Terminus / Terminus [terminus on pedestal] / 158

Opulenti haereditas / The inheritance of a rich man [raven and vulture peck at corpse; in distance the Trojans receive the arms and spoils of Patroclus, the Greeks receive the body] / 159

Amicitia (Friendship)

Mutuum auxilium / Mutual support [lame man leads way from the shoulders of blind man] / 161

Auxilium numquam deficiens / Support that is never wanting [Myrtilus escapes by floating away on his shield] / 162

Gratiae / The Graces [the Graces, Aglaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalia, with winged feet] / 163

Hostilitas (Enmity)

Inania impetus / Futile effort [dog bays at full moon] / 165

Aliquid mali propter vicinum malum / Something evil, from an evil neighbour [copper pot and earthenware pot float side-by side in a stream] / 166

In eum, qui truculentia suorum perierit / On one who will perish, from the harshness of his own [dolphin beached on shore] / 167

[Echthron adora dora] In dona hostium / On the gifts of enemies [Ajax offers Hector a belt, Hector offers Ajax a sword] / 168

A minimis quoque timendum / One ought to fear even the tiniest creatures [eagle is attacked by beetle] / 169

Obnoxia infirmitas / Weakness subject to harm [sardines attacked from below by the "orata" (a large fish), from above by two birds, the "mergus" and "fulica"] / 170

Vel post mortem formidolosi / Terrifying, even after death [two drummers, one with wolf-skin, one with sheep-skin drumhead] / 171

Vindicta (Vengeance)

Iusta ultio / A just revenge [raven holds scorpion, who in turn stings raven] / 173

Parem delinquentis et suasoris culpam esse / The fault belongs alike to the wrong-doer and to the persuader [herald who sounded the call to arms is captured in battle] / 174

Alius peccat, alias plectitur / One man sins, the other is punished [dog attacks stone, not the man who threw the stone] / 175

Insani gladius / The sword of a madman [mad Ajax kills pigs, not descendants of the Greeks] / 176

Pax (Peace)

Ex bello pax / From war, peace [helmet used as hive by bees] / 178

Ex pace ubertas / From peace, plenty [a sea bird, the "alcyon," cares for its young in a nest by the sea] / 179

Scientia (Knowledge)

Eloquentia fortitudine praestantior / Eloquence, surpassing strength [A chain from the mouth of Hercules holds the ears of two captives] / 181

Facundia difficilis / Eloquence is difficult [Mercury hands the plant moly to Ulysses] / 182

Antiquissima quaeque commenticia / All that is most ancient is a lie [Proteus] / 183

Insignia poetarum / The badges of the poets [swan on shield] / 184

Musicam Diis curae esse / Music is in the care of the gods [cricket sits on a lyre] / 185

Littera occidit, spiritus vivicat / The letter kills, the spirit breathes life [Cadmus sows the teeth of the dead dragon] / 186

Dicta septem Sapientum / Sayings of the seven wise men [cluster of images representing the saying: man on ass, pennyroyal ("pulegium"), balance, mirror, coriander, terminus, bird-cage] / 187

Ignorantia (Ignorance)

Mentem, non formam, plus pollere / The mind, not the outward form, is more promising [fox holds mask] / 189

Dives indoctus / The ignorant rich man [Phrixus rides the golden ram] / 190

Matrimonium (Marriage)

Reverentiam in matrimonio requiri / That respect is to be sought in marriage [viper approaches an eel] / 192

In foecunditatem sibi ipsi damnosam / On fertility that is harmful to itself [boys try to knock fruit from nut-tree] / 193

Amor filiorum / Love of one's children [dove nests in barren tree] / 194

Pietas filiorum in parentes / Devotion of children to their parents [Aeneas carries Anchises from burning Troy] / 195

Mulieris famam, non formam, vulgatans esse oportere / That the reputation of a woman, not her beauty, ought to be proclaimed [Venus, one foot on a tortoise, with Amor standing by] / 196

In Pudoris statuam / On a statue to modesty [Penelope, pulled on one side by Icarius, on the other by Ulysses] / 197

Nupta contagioso / Wife to an infected man [king Mezentius points to two men who bind a naked man to a corpse] / 198

Arbores (Trees)

Quercus / The oak [oak tree, two sides of a coin of Juppiter on each side] / 200

Salix / The willow [willow tree, beneath man leaning over two nude women] / 201

Abies / The fir-tree [silver fir, beneath sailing boats and a stack of lumber] / 202

Picea / The pitch pine [pine tree, below an ass, and six bees] / 203

Coronea / The quince tree [quince tree, below Amor with basket of quinces approaches an old man] / 204

Hedera / The ivy [ivy bush, below, garlanded, a lyre on side, a scroll on the other] / 205

Ilex / The holm oak [holm oak, beneath armed men battle] / 206

Malus medica / The citron tree [citron tree, beneath Venus on one side, Amor next to a bee-hive on the other] / 207

Buxus / The box tree [shaped box tree, beneath a flute and a shepherd's pipe] / 208

Amygdalus / The almond tree [almond tree, beneath a man with a pin-wheel, swaddled infant, skull, open book] / 209

Morus / The mulberry tree [mulberry tree, beneath figures of winter and summer, latter with cornucopia] / 210

Laurus / The laurel tree [laurel tree, beneath coin of Charles V, a burning altar, and complex tripod structure with image of dolphin / 211

Populus alba / The white poplar [poplar tree, beneath two sides of coin, on one side Hercules, on the other images of day and night] / 212

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Last modified 19 November 1997