Andrea Alciatis' Liber Emblemata (published in 1534) was an illustrated book of emblems, used by the well-educated of post-medieval Europe. Each emblem consisted of a motto or proverb, an illustration, and a short explanation; many had heraldic significance. In its time, the Liber Emblemata was an essential part of the library of every writer and artist. Scholars depended on it to interpret contemporary art and literature, while artists and writers turned to it to invest their work with an understood moral significance. This is the English translation of that important work, complete with the...

The Emblemata of Andreas Alciatus was published in 1551 in Lyon and was soon translated into at least four languages. These volumes allow a researcher to consult all versions at once and compare them with considerable ease.

In Part 1 each of the emblems is reproduced in facsimilie, the motto and epigram transcribed and translated, the pictorial emblem analysed into its key motifs, and the relevant sources listed. Part 2 is organized in parallel fashion and deals with the translations of Marnef, Hunger, Held, Marquale, and Cadomosto.

Part 1 also contains thorough...