PBA Galleries

This highly influential book was first published in 1593 and appeared in many editions in various languages - Italian, French, Dutch, German and English - throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Ripa collected symbols from emblem books of the day, organized them alphabetically and described them, eg, Piety, Religion, Simplicity, Sobriety. The book was used by artists and others for inspiration, and was also useful in decoding Hermetic allegorical symbolism.