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The frontispiece, or first illustrated page, contains a short introductory text surrounded by multiple scenes from the myth of Atalanta and Hippomenes. These include the Garden of the Hesperides, which includes Aegle, Arethusa, a many-headed dragon, understood as Ladon, and Hespertusa; Hercules stealing apples; Venus giving apples to Hippomenes; the race between Hippomenes and Atalanta; the consummation of their love; and their transformation into lions.

Title page

A bearded nude man, identified as Boreas, with wind gusts extending from his head and arms has a fetus inside his stomach. He is standing amongst bushes with a river and cityscape in the background.

Emblem 1

Air/wind, Arch, Birth/pregnancy, Bodies of water, Boreas, Cityscape, Earth, Elevated terrain, Fetus, Male, Nude, Path, Plants, Ruin, Shadow, Water, Wind

A woman with Earth as her torso, understood as Mother Earth, is nursing a baby, understood as the philosophical child. At the woman’s feet is a wolf nursing two babies identified as Romulus and Remus. A goat identified as Jove is also nursing a baby.

Emblem 2

Air/wind, Baby, Cloud, Drinking, Earth, Elevated terrain, Female, Goat, Lying, Mother Earth, Nude, Nursing, Planet Earth, Plants, Romulus and Remus, Shadow, Wolf

A woman in early modern clothing is pouring water into a large steaming tub. At the bottom of the tub water flows from a spigot to a smaller tub. To the left, a brick firepit with faggots produces smoke.

Emblem 3

Air/wind, Ash, Brick, Burning, Church, Early modern clothing, Earth, Female, Fire, Plants, Pouring, Shadow, Smoke, Steam, Vessels, Washing, Water

A man and woman in classical clothing are embracing next to a standing bearded man in classical clothing who is proffering a cup to the couple.

Emblem 4

Arch, Church, Cityscape, Classical clothing, Earth, Embracing, Female, House, Male, Plants, Presenting, Shadow, Vessels

A bearded man in classical clothing is foisting a toad towards a woman’s breast to nurse. In the background of the courtyard, two men and a dog are walking away.

Emblem 5

Arch, Attacking, Brick, Church, Cityscape, Classical clothing, Cloud, Courtyard, Dog, Drinking, Female, Male, Nursing, Shadow, Toad, Window

A beardless man in early modern clothing is sowing gold coins from a bowl into a plowed field.

Emblem 6

Church, Coins, Early modern clothing, Earth, Field, Gold, House, Male, Plants, Shadow, Sowing, Vessels

Two chickens prepare to fly from a nest on top of a rocky crag. Behind the rocky crag there is a river flowing between two cityscapes connected by a bridge.

Emblem 7

Arch, Bodies of water, Bridge, Cave, Chicken, Church, Cityscape, Earth, Elevated terrain, Field, Plants, Water

A bearded man in classical clothing holds a sword with one hand and is looking at an egg on a low table. He is in a courtyard with a door to his right, a fire with smoke in front of him, and a passageway behind him.

Emblem 8

Brick, Church, Cityscape, Classical clothing, Cloud, Column, Courtyard, Door, Egg, Faggot, Fire, Furniture, Male, Passageway, Pediment, Plants, Shadow, Smoke, Weapons, Window

An elderly bearded man is sitting in a temple that contains a fruit tree. He is framed by an arch and is seen picking and eating apples from the tree.

Emblem 9

Air/wind, Arch, Classical clothing, Cloud, Column, Earth, Eating, Elderly, Fruit, Garden, Male, Pediment, Plants, Sitting, Temple

A bearded man holds a lit faggot above a smoky fire set on a hearth. A man in classical clothing, identified as Hermes, is walking past the man towards a sitting man in classical clothing, also identified as Hermes.

Emblem 10

Arch, Cityscape, Classical clothing, Cloud, Courtyard, Faggot, Fire, Furniture, Hearth, Helmet, Hermes/Mercury, Male, Shadow, Sitting, Smoke

A woman in classical clothing, identified as Latona, is seated with two children standing at her feet. One, identified as Sol, has a sun face; and the other, identified as Diana, has a crescent moon on her head. A bearded man in classical clothing is washing the woman’s neck while another man is tearing a book.

Emblem 11

Air/wind, Apollo/Sol, Bodies of water, Book, Child, Classical clothing, Cloud, Diana/Luna, Earth, Female, House, Latona, Male, Moon, Nude, Plants, Shadow, Sitting, Sun, Tearing, Vessels, Washing, Water

A bearded man in classical clothing, identified as Saturn, flies over a rocky crag while holding a scythe and vomiting up a stone. A path winds down the crag, passes through an arch, and forks at the base. One branch of the path leads to a church with a cross on the roof.

Emblem 12

Air/wind, Arch, Bodies of water, Church, Cityscape, Classical clothing, Cloud, Cross, Door, Earth, Elevated terrain, Fence, Male, Path, Plants, Saturn, Scythe, Stairs, Stone, Vomiting, Water

A nude leprous man, identified as Naaman, is sitting on a bank and washing in the river. Behind him is a cityscape with a bridge.

Emblem 13

Air/wind, Arch, Bodies of water, Bridge, Church, Cityscape, Cloud, Door, Earth, House, Male, Naaman, Nude, Plants, Sickness, Sitting, Stairs, Washing, Water, Window

A dragon with wings is biting its tail forming an ouroboros. There are ruins and an arch around the ouroboros.

Emblem 14

Arch, Brick, Dragon, Earth, Plants, Ruin, Water

A bearded man in early modern clothing is sitting at a pottery wheel turning a pot. He is sitting on a chair in a house with various bowls and pitchers on the floor and shelves.

Emblem 15

Early modern clothing, Earth, Furniture, House, Male, Pottery Wheel, Sitting, Vessels, Water, Window

A lion clutches a lion with wings. Behind them there are ruins and trees.

Emblem 16

Air/wind, Arch, Brick, Earth, Lion, Plants, Ruin

In the middle of a river four spheres containing fire are stacked vertically. Boats, houses, and trees frame the scene.

Emblem 17

Air/wind, Bodies of water, Circle/sphere, Cloud, Dock, Earth, Fire, House, Plants, Ruin, Water

A man in early modern clothing wearing a hat is heating a fire in a hearth with a rod. Next to him is a bowl full of gold coins on a stump and a dog. There is a man in a background courtyard.

Emblem 18

Arch, Bellows, Burning, Coins, Courtyard, Dog, Early modern clothing, Faggot, Fire, Gold, Hearth, House, Male, Passageway, Path, Plants, Rod, Smoke, Tongs, Vessels

Four bearded nude men are attacking a man with a club by throwing either fire, wind, water, or earth. Behind them is a river and a cityscape.

Emblem 19

Air/wind, Attacking, Bodies of water, Cityscape, Cloud, Earth, Elevated terrain, Fire, Male, Nude, Water, Weapons

A figure in armor with a shield and sword is shielding a fleeing nude woman from a large fire with smoke.

Emblem 20

Armor, Bodies of water, Bridge, Cityscape, Cloud, Earth, Faggot, Female, Fire, Fleeing, Helmet, Male, Nude, Path, Shield, Smoke, Water, Weapons

A bearded man in eastern clothing, represented as Hermes Trismegistus, is holding a compass and pointing to a brick wall with a t-square and quadrant at his feet. On the brick wall there is a drawing of a nude man and woman inside a circle inside a square inside a triangle inside a circle.

Emblem 21

Brick, Circle/sphere, Compass, Cube/square, Eastern clothing, Female, Hermes Trismegistus, House, Male, Nude, Quadrant, Star, T-square, Triangle, Window

A woman in early modern clothing wearing a chatelaine is standing next to a hearth with bellows, a fire with faggots, and pots. One of the pots is suspended from a chain and hangs over the fire. On the floor there are two fish in a bowl and a cat.

Emblem 22

Bellows, Burning, Cat, Chatelaine, Early modern clothing, Faggot, Female, Fire, Fish, Furniture, Hearth, House, Smoke, Vessels, Water, Weapons, Window

A bearded man in classical clothing is holding an axe next to a reclining partially nude bearded man, identified as Jove. A nude woman, identified as Pallus, springs from his head. An eagle sits nearby. In the background at right, Pallus is embraced by a man with sun rays on his head, identified as Sol, and a winged youth, understood to be Cupid, watches over them as it rains gold.

Emblem 23

Apollo/Sol, Birthing, Bodies of water, Child, Classical clothing, Cupid, Eagle, Earth, Embracing, Female, Fire, Gold, Hammer, Hearth, Jove/Jupiter (Zeus), Key, Lying, Male, Nude, Pallas/Minerva (Athena), Plants, Rain, Sun rays, Temple, Tongs, Water, Weapons

In the foreground a wolf is eating a dying man in classical clothing wearing a crown who is lying on the ground. In the background a wolf is burning in a fire while a man in classical clothing is walking away.

Emblem 24

Air/wind, Arch, Bodies of water, Bridge, Burning, Cityscape, Classical clothing, Crown, Death/dying, Dying, Earth, Eating, Faggot, Fire, Lying, Male, Plants, Smoke, Water, Wolf

In the foreground a man with a sun on his head, identified as Sol, and a woman with a crescent moon on her head, identified as Luna, are holding clubs and attacking a dragon with wings. Behind them Sol and Luna, are holding bows and arrows and running toward a dragon with wings.

Emblem 25

A woman in classical clothing wearing a crown, understood as Wisdom, is standing in a path and holding a banderole in each hand. The Latin inscription on one banderole reads, “Length of days and health” and on the other, “Glory and endless wealth”. Beside her is a blooming tree and behind her is a house and river.

Emblem 26

Air/wind, Banderole, Bodies of water, Classical clothing, Cloud, Crown, Earth, Female, Fence, House, Plants, Presenting, Sunshine, Water, Wisdom

A beardless man in classical clothing is standing ankle deep in water and looking with crossed arms at a door with multiple locks that leads into a manicured garden. Behind him on a hill five gods and four goddesses are sitting and holding their symbols.

Emblem 27

Bodies of water, Cityscape, Classical clothing, Cloud, Door, Earth, Elevated terrain, Female, Fence, Garden, Lock, Male, Pediment, Plants, Sitting, Water

A bearded nude man wearing a crown is sitting in a vapor bath on a porch with columns.

Emblem 28

Air/wind, Arch, Cityscape, Column, Crown, Earth, Fire, Lamp, Male, Nude, Plants, Sitting, Steam, Vapor bath, Water, Window

A salamander with stars in a line down his back and large claws is engulfed in fire and smoke.

Emblem 29

Fire, Salamander, Smoke, Stars

A nude man with a sun for a head, identified as Sol, is standing next to a nude woman with a moon for a head, identified as Luna. She is pointing to the two chickens that are at their feet. Behind them are boats on a river.

Emblem 30

Air/wind, Apollo/Sol, Bodies of water, Cloud, Diana/Luna, Earth, Female, Hen, House, Male, Moon, Moon rays, Nude, Plants, Rooster, Sun, Sun rays, Water

A bearded man wearing a crown is swimming in a lake. There is a cityscape and boats behind him.

Emblem 31

Bodies of water, Cityscape, Crown, Earth, Elevated terrain, Male, Swimming, Water

A man in early modern clothing is trawling for coral with a hook in a bog. There is a dock, small house, and bridge behind him. In the sky a face in a cloud, understood as a wind god, is blowing wind.

Emblem 32

Air/wind, Arch, Bog, Bridge, Cityscape, Cloud, Dock, Early modern clothing, Earth, Fence, Hook, House, Male, Path, Plants, Stairs, Water, Waterfowl, Wind, Wind Gods (Anemoi)

A nude hermaphrodite is lying on a table over a fire with smoke during an eclipse.

Emblem 33

Bier, Earth, Eclipse, Faggot, Fire, Furniture, Hermaphrodite, Lying, Nude, Plants, Smoke

A nude man with a sun for a head, identified as Sol, is embracing a nude woman with a moon for a head, identified as Luna in a lake in a cave. To the left of them a nude man is running out of the lake and a nude Luna is giving birth in the clouds.

Emblem 34

Air/wind, Apollo/Sol, Baby, Birth/pregnancy, Birthing, Bodies of water, Cave, Cityscape, Cloud, Diana/Luna, Earth, Embracing, Female, Male, Moon, Moon rays, Nude, Running, Sun, Sun rays, Water

A woman in classical clothing, identified as Ceres, is sitting by wheat and holding a baby. In the middle ground there is discarded armor and a woman is dragging a dying nude man towards a fire. In the background an elderly nude bearded man looks on and a woman flees.

Emblem 35

Armor, Baby, Ceres (Demeter), Cityscape, Classical clothing, Death/dying, Drinking, Dying, Earth, Elderly, Elevated terrain, Female, Fence, Fire, Fleeing, Helmet, Male, Nude, Nursing, Path, Plants, Shield, Smoke, Weapons

Two men in early modern clothing are walking on a path through a town with another man walking ahead of them and another one riding a horse. There is a river, church, and town in the background. There are three cubes floating in the air, five cubes behind the two men, and four cubes in the river.

Emblem 36

A bearded lion wearing a laurel wreath is standing in a steamy bog. Behind him is a volcano emitting smoke and a house on a hill.

Emblem 37

Air/wind, Arch, Bog, Cloud, Earth, Elevated terrain, Fire, House, Laurel wreath, Lion, Obelisk, Plants, Smoke, Steam, Water

A man in classical clothing, identified as Mercury, is embracing a woman in classical clothing, identified as Venus, while a nude child, understood as Cupid, sits next to them. Above them is a hermaphrodite standing astride two mountains.

Emblem 38

Child, Classical clothing, Cupid, Cytherea/Venus (Aphrodite), Earth, Elevated terrain, Embracing, Female, Helmet, Hermaphrodite, Hermes/Mercury, Male, Nude, Plants, Sitting

A male baby, a bearded man in classical clothing, and an elderly bearded man with a staff, all identified as Oedipus, are grouped together. Each figure has a shape inscribed on his forehead. Behind this group, scenes from the Oedipus myth are enacted by a sphinx and by a man and woman wearing crowns.

Emblem 39

Arch, Baby, Cityscape, Classical clothing, Cloud, Crown, Earth, Elderly, Elevated terrain, Female, Helmet, Male, Nude, Oedipus, Plants, Shadow, Sphinx, Staff, Weapons

A crowd of people drink water from the basins of two fountains. At left a statue of a nude male spews water. At the right a statue of a nude female spews water. In the background there is a temple and cityscape.

Emblem 40

Air/wind, Arch, Baby, Bridge, Cityscape, Cloud, Column, Cube/square, Door, Drinking, Early modern clothing, Earth, Female, Fountain, Male, Nude, Obelisk, Pediment, Plants, Pouring, Staff, Temple, Vessels, Water

A man in armor, identified as Adonis, is lying on the ground dying with a pike in hand. A woman in classical clothing, identified as Venus, is running through bushes towards the man. Behind them a man in armor is looking at a fleeing boar and dog.

Emblem 41

Adonis, Armor, Boar, Classical clothing, Cloud, Cytherea/Venus (Aphrodite), Death/dying, Dog, Dying, Earth, Elevated terrain, Female, Fleeing, Helmet, Lying, Male, Plants, Running, Shield, Weapons

A bearded man wearing spectacles and holding a lantern and staff is following in the footprints of a woman in classical clothing holding a cornucopia and bouquet during an eclipse.

Emblem 42

Air/wind, Bodies of water, Bridge, Classical clothing, Cloud, Earth, Eclipse, Elevated terrain, Female, Fire, House, Lamp, Male, Plants, Shadow, Staff, Water

A vulture is perched on a rocky crag holding a banderole in its beak. The Latin inscription on the banderole reads, “I am black, white, yellow, and red.” Below the vulture a raven is flying. Behind the rocky crag is a lake, mountains, and cityscape.

Emblem 43

Banderole, Bodies of water, Cityscape, Earth, Elevated terrain, Plants, Presenting, Raven, Vulture, Water

Inside a house, a bearded man in classical clothing wearing a crown is lying in a coffin while two men in classical clothing and a man in eastern clothing are looking on. Behind them is a woman in early modern clothing standing next to a man holding a sword and dismembering another man’s body.

Emblem 44

Arch, Attacking, Classical clothing, Coffin, Crown, Door, Early modern clothing, Eastern clothing, Female, Furniture, House, Lying, Male, Stairs, Turban, Weapons, Window

Planet Earth appears in the middle of a ring of stars. Above, the Sun, depicted with a face, projects rays on to Earth casting a large shadow and causing an eclipse.

Emblem 45

Circle/sphere, Eclipse, Moon, Planet Earth, Shadow, Stars, Sun

A bearded man draped in cloth wearing a crown, understood as Jove, is holding in each hand an eagle with spread wings on a small island in the middle of a lake.

Emblem 46

Air/wind, Bodies of water, Cityscape, Cloud, Crown, Eagle, Earth, Elevated terrain, Jove/Jupiter (Zeus), Male, Plants, Water

A wolf and dog are attacking each other. Behind them are trees, a cityscape, and a river with boats.

Emblem 47

Air/wind, Arch, Attacking, Bodies of water, Bridge, Cityscape, Cloud, Dog, Earth, Plants, Sun, Sunshine, Water, Wolf

A beardless man in classical clothing is proffering a cup to a bearded man in classical clothing wearing a crown with several other men standing behind him. Behind them a man with a crown is lying on a bier while another man is holding up a flask.

Emblem 48

Classical clothing, Column, Crown, Furniture, Helmet, Lying, Male, Presenting, Shadow, Sickness, Vessels, Water, Weapons, Window

A man wearing a turban is holding an ox hide. To his left stands one man in early modern clothing and another in classical clothing with a bow and arrow. To his right stands a man in classical clothing, understood as Hermes, and a man in classical clothing with a helmet and plume.

Emblem 49

Apollo/Sol, Bodies of water, Classical clothing, Early modern clothing, Earth, Elevated terrain, Helmet, Hermes/Mercury, Male, Ox, Plants, Presenting, Tongs, Turban, Water, Weapons

In a grave a dragon with wings is embracing a dying woman. Around them are ruins, including a round stone building.

Emblem 50

Air/wind, Arch, Brick, Classical clothing, Cloud, Column, Death/dying, Dragon, Dying, Earth, Embracing, Female, Grave, Obelisk, Plants, Ruin

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