JF Ptak Science Books  Quick Post

I’ve just written a short post on the beautiful key to iconography by Cesare Ripa, Iconologia overa descrittione d’imagini delle virtu, viti, sffetti, passioni humane, corpi celesti, Mondo e sue parti…, which was published in Padua in 1611.  The version I used was an 18th-century English translation with new illustrations–now though the translation was very appreciated, the images were not so.  As I pointed out, they do serve the purpose of illustrating the specifics in iconography, the images were not that pleasing.  I wanted to include here an example from the original, and in particular the imagery of “Dawn”.

It is a gorgeous thing, a very striking, very strong woodcut showing the messenger of the new day coming, attacking the night with arrows of dawn. 

I enjoy he earlier, more robust images for this iconology, even though there are many variants to choose from–there were more than 40 editions of this work since its first non-illustrated edition in 1593–but given it all I much prefer the early 17th century flavor.