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Original fileCanticum Canticorum
About This Work
The Bride is shown in a highly decorative bed adorned with the figures of Justice, Prudence, Fortitude, and Providence. While she gestures toward a divine figure appearing in the clouds above, groups of men in contemporary and antique costume observe her from the sides. A smaller relief at the base of the bed depicts a scene of royal judgment, likely King Solomon, contextualizing the biblical source of the allegory.
The Song of Songs was a foundational text for Western mysticism, interpreted by Neoplatonists and Kabbalists as an allegory for the soul's erotic and spiritual longing for union with the Divine. This print reflects the late 16th-century Mannerist interest in 'Theologia Mythologica,' where biblical narratives were encoded with complex philosophical layers regarding the governance of the soul and the state.
Inscriptions(Latin)
M. de vos inuent. IVSTITIA PRVDENTIA FORTITV. PROVIDEN. Sadeler excud: Dum sua sceptra, & opes, & dum miratus honores, Curarum secura animos noua SPONSA relaxat; Surripit amplexu charo se SPONSVS: at illa Multa gemens deserta thorum Custodibus aevum Edidit curam, studioq; explorat inani: Nec minus interea Regnum DEVS ipse tuetur, (Dum SPONSVS redeat, breuis est mora) et ipse gubernat Consilia, & reliquis ornat præ gentibus VNAM.
Translation
M. de Vos inventor. JUSTICE PRUDENCE FORTITUDE PROVIDENCE Sadeler publisher. While the new BRIDE, admiring her scepters, and riches, and honors, Relaxes her mind, free from cares; The BRIDEGROOM steals himself away from her dear embrace: but she, Groaning much, abandoned in her bed, gave birth to care For an age with Guardians, and explores with idle study: And yet meanwhile GOD himself protects the Kingdom, (While the BRIDEGROOM returns, the delay is brief) and he himself governs The counsels, and adorns ONE above the rest of the nations.
Connected Texts
Song of Songs
The primary biblical source text, interpreted as the 'Unio Mystica' or the marriage of the Soul and God.
Marten de Vos
Designer of the composition, known for complex theological and political allegories.
Provenance & Source
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
paper
height 208 mm x width 257 mm
allegory
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.