Book Title: Andreae Alciati emblematvm libellvs.

Author: Alciati, Andrea, 1492-1550

Image Title: On the Likeness of Hope

Description: The pictura of this emblem by the Italian jurist and writer Andrea Alciati (1492 – 1550 CE) features on the left a statue that, in subscriptio, is referred to as “Good Hope” and attributed to the artistry of Elpidius, an invented name derived from the Greek word elpis, “hope.” Set in dialogical form with Good Hope herself as one of the interlocutors, the subscriptio goes on to exposit the allegorical significance of the scene’s elements. The broken arrows signify that, though hope is allowed to the living, it is cut short for the dead. The crow at her side represents the augury in hope that envisions the fulfillment of hope despite ill-boding conditions. The statues to her right are of the goddess Rhamnusia and the god Cupid. The former, as the avenger of crimes, shows that one may not hope for anything unless it is lawful; the latter how empty dreams evoked by love precede good hope.

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