Birds attacking an owl resting upon a staff held by a naked woman; representing patience. Etching by C. Murer after himself, c. 1600-1614.
- Murer, Christoph, 1558-1614.
- Date:
- 1622
- Reference:
- 26699i
- Part of:
- XL Emblemata miscella nova
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Description
The allegory is explained by Vignau-Wilberg (ibid., p. 104-5). The owl, displayed in daylight, lures the birds to attack it as a enemy predator. Thus the hunter can trap the deceived birds. The birds "gehen auf den Leim" - fall into the trap - a pun on the "Leimrute" upon which the owl rests
Publication/Creation
Zurich : Johann Rudolf Wolf, 1622.
Physical description
1 print : etching.
Contributors
Lettering
Patientia
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 26699i
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