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Original fileChristelijke emblemen
About This Work
The central scene shows the infant Jesus being circumcised by a high priest while Mary, Joseph, and other witnesses observe in a temple setting. The ornate frame includes a radiating disk with the name of Jesus at the top and a flaming heart on an altar at the base, signifying spiritual transformation. Butterflies in the lower corners represent the soul, while lateral symbols like the anchor and cross denote faith and hope.
Aegidius Sadeler was a prominent engraver at the court of Rudolf II in Prague, a major center for late Renaissance hermeticism and natural philosophy. This work utilizes the 'New Creature' (Nova Creatura) concept from Galatians 6:15, emphasizing internal spiritual regeneration and the mystical power of the Divine Name, themes that later became central to Rosicrucian and Boehmenist thought.
Inscriptions(Latin)
IN CHRISTO IESV Cultro secanda saxeo Tenella Christus membra dat Non venit, ut tollat sui Legem parentis, filius. Parendo legis vincula Nobis IESV mitigas: Datoque monstras nomine Tua fauorem gratiae. CIRCUMCISIO nihil PRAEPUTIVM nihil Hoc nomiē est potentia, Noueq(ue) signum gloriae, Et per quod unū caelitus Datur salus mortalibus. Tu Christe nō effabilis Imago Caelestis patris, Da nil colatur, quā tuum Nomen perenni seculo. sed noua CREATVRA
Translation
IN CHRIST JESUS To the flint knife Christ yields His tender limbs; The Son does not come To abolish the Law of His Father. By obeying, O JESUS, You mitigate the bonds of the Law for us: And by the name given, You show The favor of Your grace. CIRCUMCISION is nothing FORESKIN is nothing In this name is power, And the sign of a new glory, And through which alone from heaven Salvation is given to mortals. You, Christ, ineffable Image of the Heavenly Father, Grant that nothing be worshipped but Your Name throughout the eternal age. but a new CREATURE
Connected Texts
Jacob Boehme
Boehme's theology of the 'New Man' and the spiritual alchemy of the heart parallels the 'Nova Creatura' theme presented in this emblem.
Thomas à Kempis
The focus on the 'Ineffable Image' and the devotion to the Name of Jesus aligns with the interiority of the Devotio Moderna and 'The Imitation of Christ'.
Provenance & Source
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
paper
height 221 mm x width 168 mm
emblem
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.