Quinti Horatii Flacci Emblemata, Emblems of Horace 1683. 

Size: 11 5/8 x 9 1/2 in. 

This book is titled “Quinti Horatii Flacci Emblemata”, or the Emblems of Horace. Originally published in Antwerp in 1607, this is the Brussels edition published by Franciscum Foppens   in 1683, and it is a classic of emblematic literature. The full title  is “Quinti Horatii Flacci Emblemata, Imaginibus In Aes Incisis, Notisque Illustrata, Studio Othonis Vaeni Batavo-Lugdunensis”, which means Images Engraved in Brass, Illustrated with Notes, by the Studio of Otho Vaeni of Batavo-Lugdun and the book is a new corrected edition, augmented with sayings of the Holy Fathers, Seneca, and other philosophers and poets, and new verses. (Batavo-Lugdunensis is modern day Leiden in the Netherlands.) 

The first emblem book appeared in Germany in 1531, and this 1683 title was a very popular emblem book. It represented themes and ideas found in the writings of the Roman poet Horace, particularly his odes and satires, and it aimed to provide moral and ethical lessons through emblematic imagery, often pairing those images with Latin verses. The images and accompanying texts were designed to inspire people to live a virtuous life, highlighting both  the rewards of good conduct and the consequences of bad choices.  

Otto Van Veen (1556 - 1629), also known as Otto Venius or Othonis Vaeni, was one of the leading Dutch emblematists of the 17th century, as well as Antwerp’s most important artist. He was a humanist known for his allegories and paintings of religious and mythological scenes, Peter Paul Rubens apprenticed in Van Veen’s studio from 1594 to 1598, which deeply influenced Rubens’ art, and Van Veen was court painter to sovereigns of the Habsburg Netherlands, including the Archdukes Albert and Isabella.  

The work was first published in 1607, the engravings of the 1683 edition have been attributed to Otto’s brother, Gijsbert van Veen (1558 - 1628), and the polyglot text was written in different languages, probably to attract readers from all over Europe.  

Franciscus Foppens (1637 - 1685 ) was a printer and bookseller in Brussels, active in the 17th century, and he was known for publishing this version of Van Veen’s “Quinti Horatii Flacci Emblemata”.  

The book has five raised bands, a maroon label with gilt lettering and gilt decorations on the spine, blank endpapers, “No. 508” on the endpaper before the half title and “Juli 1956” in red at the bottom of the half-title, the title page has red and black lettering and an oval medallion  of Horace, there are two pages by Franciscus Foppens dedicated to the Belgian king, then a full-page portrait of Ocvatio Vaenius, followed by Horace’s poems in French, Latin, Italian and Dutch, 103 engravings to accompany the poems,  an Index at the rear lists all the engravings, “O gielo Stuyvent” is in script on a blank endpaper at the rear, and all the engravings are present.  

We don’t know who or what “o gielo o Stuyvent” refers to. We thought it might have been a guild and a shortened version of “Stuyvesant” - Peter Stuyvesant was the last Dutch Director General of New Netherlands from 1647 to 1664 and New Amsterdam, the capital of New Netherlands, eventually became New York City - and Van Veen was dean of the Guild of St. Luke’s in Antwerp, but we don’t see a connection between Van Veen and Stuyvesant.  

The book measures 11 5/8 x 9 1/2 inches wide and is in very good condition. We are not sure if the book has been rebound, but it has a solid binding, wide margins with clean pages and text, a couple of pages have offset and light browning, there’s a small hole in the bottom margin on page 88, the paste-downs in front and back have brown shadows on the edges, there’s a chip at the bottom of the spine, and the right edge of the front cover has a slight curve to it. Overall in very good condition for a book from 1683. 

WorldCat lists several titles of this book for 1607 or 1683 copies, but they all appear to be ebooks, except for a 1607 copy at Yale’s Beinecke Library, so the actual book is rare and hard to find. Prices for the 1607 and 1683 edition range from $1400 to $8500 on the rare book website we use, and this same title from 1683 sold at Christie’s in 2011 for $1000 and that copy had dark margins and repaired tears, and the opening bid is low to get the bidding going.  

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