Imago Veritatis. The circulation of symbolic image among fable and emblem

Abstract

 The emblem book, from its very inception and deriving directly from certain editorial practices, is closely related to other illustrated book traditions. One of these is the fable book. This study examines the theoretical premises of the relationship between the fable and the symbolic image in order to understand better the causes of their progressive similarity to emblematic illustration. A secondary focus of this study centers on the specifically Baroque theorizing on the symbolic image, with Jesuit texts given a privileged consideration, since they are so central to this nexus of ideas. The study concludes with an analysis of a concrete example of the mutual influences between one fable (that of the eagle and the beetle) and some of its emblematic representations.