A century of typographical excellence: Christophe Plantin and the Officina Plantiniana (1555-1655)
A century of typographical excellence: Christophe Plantin and the Officina Plantiniana (1555-1655) FR

V. Changing the concept of illustration

25. Suspense and unveiling: the Junius emblems

Hadrianus Junius. Emblemata. – Anvers: Christophe Plantin, 1565. In-8.

Franciscus Raphelengius, son-in-law and close collaborator of Plantin, considered Junius (1511-1571) one of the three greatest authors of emblems after Sambucus and Alciat. The first edition of his volume, in 1565, was followed by numerous reprintings in Latin, French and Dutch until the beginning of the seventeenth century.

   It does not differ from the canonical system of emblems, expressing the title (inscriptio), engraving (figura) and epigram (subscriptio) on a single page for sake of visual and intellectual unity. Plantin highlighted this by enclosing them in a frame of typographic fleurons, cut by Robert Granjon, the famous French type engraver, whom he had enticed to Antwerp. So as not to spoil this visual coherence, the explanatory commentaries were relegated to the end of the volume. Thus, the short epigrams of Junius, who was keen not to reveal the moral too easily to the reader, provided a type of ‘suspense’ and prompted reflexion before the commentary ultimately revealed the solution, in fine.

Mazarine: 8° 44672 [Res]

Cultura Fonds: LC 274

Back to previous chapter


Permalien : https://mazarinum.bibliotheque-mazarine.fr/idurl/5/22731