Inspiration for orators, poets, painters, architects, and sculptors

emblem5This difficult to read title page translates roughly: A Lot of Useful and Artistic Imagery, or, Hieroglyphic Images of the Virtues, Vices, Emotions, the Arts, and the Sciences: where by Orators, Poets, Painters, Architects, Sculptors, Designers, and others pursue their ideas, Or, in the case of a blocked period, provide inspiration so that one  will not be troubled for a long time.

canvas-2Johann Christoph Weigel created 300 emblems to represent, as the title indicates, virtues, vices, emotions, and other curiosities, then described each one in German, Latin, and French.

The engraver and his older, better-known brother Christoph Weigel (1654-1725) worked closely with the most prominent of the Nuremburg map publishers J.B. Homann and the printer, Kohler. Following the death of the older Weigel in 1725, control of the firm passed to his widow, who published a number of Weigel’s maps and atlases posthumously.

It has been speculated that this emblem book was published by one of the Weigel wives after Johann’s death in 1726. emblem3

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Johann Christoph Weigel (1661?-1726), Viel nutzende und Erfindungen reichende Sinnbild-Kunst, oder, Hieroglijphische Bilder, vorstellung [sic] der Tugenden, Laster, Gemuts-Bewegungen, Künste und Wissenschafften: wodurch Rednern, Poeten, Mahlern, Bauverständigen, Bildhauern, durch Zeichnungen und einer Kurtzen Beschreibung Ansatz ihre Gedancken ferner auszuüben gegeben ferner aus zu üben gegeben oder beij gäh verfallenden gelegenkeiten ihne gnugsame Materi vor Augene gelegt wird, damit sie sich nicht lang besinnen dörffen (Nürnberg: Verlegt und zu finden beij Johann Christoph Weigel …, [1730?]). Graphic Arts Collection GAX 2016- in process

The paper of the text and plates are watermarked with a bishop above NMH. This watermark is not recorded in Heawood, but is known to be used for other publications by Weigel all dated ca. 1730. See also: John Landwehr, German Emblem Books 1531-1888. A bibliography (Utrecht: Haentjens Dekker & Gumbert; Leiden, Sijthoff [1972]). Marquand Library (SA) Z1021.3 .L35J: 306, 641.