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Original fileClementia memor / Sapiens senectus / Adulatio fallax / Pietatis defunctio
About This Work
This engraving is divided into four quadrants, each presenting a biblical narrative as a moral emblem for a ruler. The top panels show King David witnessing an angel with a sword during a plague and King Solomon presiding over a prosperous court, while the lower panels depict a royal banquet beset by flatterers and a king's solemn deathbed. Each scene is framed by Latin titles and didactic verses that emphasize the spiritual responsibilities of the monarch.
Aegidius Sadeler was the court engraver for Emperor Rudolf II in Prague, a hub for late Renaissance Hermeticism and Neoplatonism. These prints belong to the 'Mirror for Princes' tradition, aligning biblical history with the Rudolfine ideal of the 'Sapiens' or Wise Ruler who maintains cosmic and social order through divine favor.
Inscriptions(Latin)
45 CLEMENTIA MEMOR. 2. Sam. 24. 16 Et iuuvat et placat Princeps retinetq[ue] litando Pro populo faciens solicitusq[ue] Deum. Regius ille animus, mauult qui seq[ue] suosque Perdi, quam miserum posse perire gregem. 45 46 SAPIENS SENECTVS. 1. Para. 30. 6 Diuitias et opes Pietas lectissima in usus Vnica commendat, cum petit ipsa suos. Quis prudens mihi Rex? qui prospicit undiq[ue], ut unus Sit cultus populis, imperitetq[ue] Deus. 46 47 ADVLATIO FALLAX. 1. Reg. 1. 39 Tutius et melius cura sumptusq[ue] minori Complebis proprium constituesq[ue] locum. Consilium insipiens duros uanosq[ue] labores Experiere, Deus te nisi promoueat. 47 48 PIETATIS DEFVNCTIO. 1. Reg. 2. 1 Munere susceptam bene rem gessisse beatu[m] est; Laudandam et superis ædificasse domum. Sed numeros implet cunctos cui contiget heres Et studij patrij compos et officij. 48
Translation
45 MINDFUL CLEMENCY. 2 Sam. 24. 16 The Prince both helps and appeases, and by sacrificing For the people, and being solicitous, restrains God. That royal spirit, which would rather see itself and its own Perish, than see the wretched flock be able to perish. 45 46 WISE OLD AGE. 1 Chron. 29. 17 (or 2 Chron.) Most excellent Piety commends riches and wealth for use Alone, when it itself seeks its own. Who is a prudent King to me? He who looks out on all sides, so that there is one Worship for the peoples, and God may reign. 46 47 DECEPTIVE FLATTERY. 1 Kings 1. 39 More safely and better, and with less expense, You will fill your own station and establish your place. You will experience unwise counsel and hard, vain Labors, unless God promotes you. 47 48 THE FULFILLMENT OF PIETY. 1 Kings 2. 1 It is a blessing to have managed well the task undertaken; And to have built a house worthy of praise by the gods above. But he completes the full count who meets with an heir Both master of his father's zeal and of his duty. 48
Connected Texts
Rudolf II
Sadeler served as the imperial engraver for Rudolf II, whose court was dedicated to the synthesis of art, science, and Western esotericism.
Maarten de Vos
Sadeler's compositions in this series are frequently based on designs by the prolific Mannerist artist Maarten de Vos.
Collections
Provenance & Source
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
paper
height 108 mm x width 141 mm x height 108 mm x width 140 mm x height 107 mm x width 139 mm x height 107 mm x width 141 mm
emblem
Linked Data
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