Book Title: Andreae Alciati emblematvm libellvs.

Author: Alciati, Andrea, 1492-1550

Image Title: On Flatterers

Description: The pictura of this emblem by the Italian jurist and writer Andrea Alciati (1492 – 1550 CE) features a chameleon perched on a limb. The subscriptio treats of certain features of this animal as illustrative of characteristics of the flatterer. Just as the chameleon was thought to devour the air in order to mimic the color patterns of the surroundings, sycophants open their mouths to feed on popular favor. In so doing, however, they take on only the darker habits of the sovereign and nothing of true nobility.

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