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Original fileS. Gvnthervs monach. altach. anachoreta
About This Work
An elderly, bearded hermit reclines against a tree under a rustic thatched lean-to, receiving a communion wafer. A crowned king in heavy robes kneels at the left, surrounded by monks and attendants, contrasting the opulence of the court with the ascetic's wilderness life. The background features a simple woodland altar with a crucifix and candles, emphasizing the sacred space created in nature.
Engraved by Aegidius Sadeler, the court artist to Rudolf II in Prague, this work reflects the 'vita contemplativa' (contemplative life) highly valued in late Mannerist and Neoplatonic circles. The Latin verses provide a philosophical rejection of material wealth—gold, gems, and fine fabrics—in favor of spiritual 'ambrosia' found through asceticism and proximity to the divine in nature.
Inscriptions(Latin)
S. GVNTHERVS MONACH. ALTACH. ANACHORETA. παρωδία Non est, falleris, haec beata non est, Quam vos creditis esse, vita non est. Fulgentes digitis videre gemmas, Regales dapibus grauare mensas, Aut auro bibere, et cubare cocco, Aut testudineo iacere lecto, Et pluma latus impedire molli: Sed gemmas, adamantas, uniones, Et flavum radiantis aes metalli, Et caras Tyrii ruboris undas, Et Citri maculas, eburq; scite Regalesq; dapes, cupediásq; Fastidire, Deo'q; post habere Perq; aestum properare perq; frigus, Et per pauperiem, sitim, famémq; Ad Diuum ambrosiam et perenne nectar, Et nunq; caritura fine regna: Hac non falleris, haec beata vita est.
Translation
S. GÜNTHER, MONK OF ALTACH, ANCHORITE. Parody It is not, you are mistaken, this is not blessed, What you believe it to be, is not life. To see gems flashing on fingers, To burden royal tables with feasts, Or to drink from gold, and recline in scarlet, Or to lie upon a tortoise-shell bed, And to crowd the body with soft down: But gems, diamonds, pearls, And the yellow of radiating metallic bronze, And the dear waves of Tyrian red, And the spots of citrus-wood, and expertly worked ivory, And royal feasts, and delicacies, To disdain, and to set them after God, And to hasten through heat and through cold, And through poverty, thirst, and hunger, Toward divine ambrosia and perennial nectar, And kingdoms that will never lack an end: In this you are not mistaken, this is the blessed life.
Connected Texts
Aegidius Sadeler
Sadeler was the primary engraver for the court of Rudolf II, where hermetic and alchemical interests influenced the production of religious and philosophical prints.
Provenance & Source
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
paper
width 156 mm x height 220 mm
religious
Linked Data
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