Book Title: Andreae Alciati emblematvm libellvs.

Author: Alciati, Andrea, 1492-1550

Image Title: About Chance (a Dialogue)

Description: The pictura of this emblem by the Italian jurist and writer Andrea Alciato (1492 – 1550 CE) features the allegorical statue of Kairos, the god of the fleeting moment, fashioned by the Ancient Greek sculptor Lysippos. The emblem’s subscriptio is the dialogical epigram by the Ancient Greek poet Poseidippos that interprets the statue’s allegorical features. The wheel on which the god stands and the wings on her feet represent Chance’s dynamis. The razor she holds represents her sharpness, which exceeds all human mental acuity. The hair on the fore of her head and the absence of hair on the back represent her capacity to be seized only when she presents herself and her elusiveness when she absconds, respectively.

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