Emblem Books: Whitney, Quarles and Wither (1585–1635)

Books of Emblems

There are three important writers of emblems: Whitney (1585), Quarles (1635) and Wither (1635).

An emblem is a drawing, a logo and then the emblematic poem.

A book of emblems is a book with a drawing, a poem illustrating what is in the image and a logo on each page.

Whitney

This book was first written by the Baron of Leicester and it was published in the Netherlands as opposition to the Spanish Empire. It was later written by Whitney in 1585. It was not religious or pious; it was used as political propaganda against the Spanish Empire.

Cover

Cover. The literature must be present and profitable (utile et dulce). As we can see in the cover, we have a description of the book and the details that must be given in a cover such as the title, the author, the year, etc. We can also see an emblem: a hand with a compass, and ornamentation not only surrounding the emblem but also surrounding the cover. Those covers are like arabesque symbols.

First Page: "Te stante, virebo"

First page. “Te stante, virebo”. In a way this is a standard metaphor. These are xylographies (woodcuts) made in wood. They use Latin, which is the language of that era. There are two significations: the Netherlands has to imitate England, and we have to be Protestants because we have a Protestant queen. In the image we can see a pillar which is being raised to the sky with climbers on it. This pillar represents the queen who is being raised to the sky.

Second Page: "qua dij vocant, eundum"

Second Page. “qua dij vocant, eundum”. In this image you have Hermes seated on a rock. It is again political propaganda. They know the classical culture which serves as a foundation. It is based on classical and Christian culture. The illustration was produced before the poem. Hermes is the messenger of the gods and the people do what the gods say; he is saying what the gods say. There are two paths representing which way one can take. The man is in an uncivilized place and he has to choose which way to take. There is a faraway village. There is a naked woman who is telling the man to go inside the forest; she is like a mermaid (she is not in the poem).

Third Page: "sirenes"

Third page. “sirenes”. Ulysses told his crew to bind him to the mast, but in this poem it is said that Ulysses couldn't be prevented. The mermaids represent the Spanish Empire and their singing, the Spanish religion. The poem has four verses in Latin. In the image we can see the scene where Ulysses and his crew sailed near the mermaids, who used to cause shipwrecks, as we can see in another ship which is in the image.