Amorum emblemata

“Daer ’t herte vol af is, spreeckt den mondt af.”

What is this thing called love? To find answers to that age-old question, seventeenth-century young people could turn to Otto Vaenius’s polyglot edition of love emblems: the Amorum emblemata. The book by Rubens’s master contains no fewer than 124 finely detailed oval emblems with Cupid in the lead role, accompanied by inscriptions and verses in Latin and poems in vernacular languages. Its sole intent was to provide counsel and guidance to those inexperienced in love’s trials and tribulations. In December 2021 the Rubenianum was able to acquire a copy of the Latin/ French/Dutch edition, published in 1608.

In the handy-sized oblong booklet format, we can observe an expressive Cupid swiftly shooting his arrows at unsuspecting youths or measuring his strength with that of Hercules – unless we see him dreamily musing on his beloved or wrestling with rose bushes to capture the perfect flower. We find advice and comfort in the accompanying wisdoms and sayings in Latin, French and Dutch. Noteworthy is also one of the introductory poems by none other than Peter Paul Rubens’s brother Philip, another indication of the close ties between Vaenius and the Rubens family.

Although Vaenius was not the first to issue a collection of love emblems, his approach was widely imitated and very influential, not only for the emblemata literature per se, but also in art and the rendering of Cupid in particular.

A closer look?

This rare book is available for consultation in our reading room to anyone interested, in particular all lovers in need of guidance...

Amorum emblemata, figuris aeneis incisa.
Otho Vaenius (Otto Van Veen). Antverpiae [Antwerpen], 1608.
Call number: 5/023bis.
More information

Some excerpts...

Foto: Ans Brys

Cupid in the rosebush

There is no rose without a thorn...  No happiness without sorrow.

Gheen vreught zonder pijne.

De doornen meesten-deel hen steken/ die somtijden
De rooskens plucken gaen: der minnen soete vreught
Met pijne men gheniet/ met smert en ongheneught.
Een minnaer voor een vreught moet veel verdriet eerst lijden.

Caption in Old Dutch

Foto: Ans Brys

Cupid by candlelight

This lovely scene of Cupid by candlelight is joined by a hard lesson. After all, anyone who is on fire for someone runs the risk of getting burned. Like a moth to a flame... who is to blame?

Ghelijck de motte vlieght na ’t licht met groot verblijden
Tot dat sij haer verbrant: den minnaer in het vier
Van Liefde heeft sijn lust/maer moet ’t becoopen dier.
Seer dickmaels om een vreught moet hy veel smerte lijden.

Caption in Old Dutch

Foto: Ans Brys

Cupid gazing at a portrait

Does your sweetheart live far away? With a photo of your loved one at hand, the distance seems smaller and the absence becomes more bearable. In the 17th century, painted portraits were the pre-eminent means of feeling connected with an absent lover or betrothed.

’t Peynsen ghenoeght.

Den loon die Liefde gheeft is dickwijls maer ’t bedencken/
Of een inbeeldingh’ vast van de ghewenste vreught/
Die lief met lief gheniet in minnelick’ gheneught.
’t Ghepeyns ons dickwijls can een vol-ghenoeghen schencken.

Caption in Old Dutch

Foto: Ans Brys

Love is all you need

Typographically speaking, the book is a real gem. Different fonts and fontsizes were used to put the text in the different languages.

The refined and lively emblems and the use of vernacular languages made this book a huge success. Otto Van Veen himself edited several reprints of the work and provided additional editions with either English or Italian poems. In addition, less legal copies were also made: in Germany, for example, an illegal reissue was fabricated by copying the emblems by re-engraving them and providing them with German poems.