original: "POST FESTVM"; a Latin proverb suggesting that one has arrived too late, missing the opportunity or the main event.

An oval engraving depicting a celestial or religious scene with multiple figures looking upward towards rays of light breaking through clouds.

LATE.
original: "SERO"; meaning "too late" or "at a late hour." The accompanying image of a man reaching for a branch while a bird is already caged emphasizes the theme of missed timing.
An engraving of a man in 17th-century dress standing by a birdcage on a stone plinth, reaching up toward a leafy branch.

PREPARE.
original: "PROVIDE"; a command to look ahead or act with foresight. This contrasts with the "Late" column, showing a knight who is ready for action.
An engraving of a knight in full plate armor standing while two attendants or squires assist him with his equipment.

SILENT POETRY

SPEAKING PICTURE

These headers refer to the famous comparison by the Greek poet Simonides: "Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is speaking painting."

OPPORTUNITY SEIZED

AND NEGLECTED

Dillingen an der Donau was a significant center for printing and Jesuit education in the 17th century.

Daniel Mannasser was a prominent engraver and publisher active in the early 1600s.

A decorative cartouche containing an illustration of a winged snail, a common emblem for the motto "Festina Lente".

original: "FESTINO LENTE"; a classical adage suggesting that the best results come from a balance of speed and careful diligence, symbolized here by a snail (slow) with wings (fast).