The Roman emperor Valens pours money into a coffer; an officer is arrested and led to prison. Etching by C. Murer after himself, c. 1600-1614.
- Murer, Christoph, 1558-1614.
- Date:
- 1622
- Reference:
- 26679i
- Part of:
- XL Emblemata miscella nova
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Description
This image accompanies a scene in Murer's play in which the Emperor Valens sacks an officer who has been embezzling the state for his refusal to accept the Arian doctrine. Rordorf interpreted the scene otherwise: the officer was dismissed because of his embezzlement. For a full explanation, see T. Vignau-Wilberg, ibid., p. 98
Publication/Creation
Zurich : Johann Rudolf Wolf, 1622.
Physical description
1 print : etching.
Contributors
Lettering
Fiscus. CM.
References note
For detailed information on Murer's series, see: Thea Vignau-Wilberg, 'Christoph Murer und die "XL. Emblemata miscella nova"' (Bern : Benteli Verlag, 1982)
Reference
Wellcome Collection 26679i
Notes
This series was originally intended by Murer to serve as illustration to his play 'Edessa', but he died before completing it. The play concerned the politics surrounding the Arian controversy in the fourth century Christian church. In her book (cited below), T. Vignau-Wilberg demonstrates that Murer used the story of the persecutions in Edessa of non-Arians by Arians as a cipher for the persecution of Protestants by Catholics in his contemporary Europe. However, the play was never published and the etchings were published as emblems eight years after his death, with a different text written by Johann Heinrich Rordorf, sometimes at variance with the intention of the original
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Location Status Access Closed stores