112
JUSTYNA KjLIAŃCZYK-ZlĘBA
alteration marks a crucial change, sińce, thanks to it,
it is possible to treat Rej's poem as a text explaining
the "silent speech" of the device. The enigmatic vi-
sual representation becomes comprehensible, having
been explained by a contemporary of Wirzbięta's -
and, what is morę, his co-worker and fellow believer,
as well as an author of emblems. The printer's gesture
of making the pzctura his own device proves that
Wirzbięta appreciated and fully accepted Rej's
interpretation of the willow-tree's symbolism.
It is possible to find Mediaeval illuminations and
16th-century engravings whose composition and
content invoke associations with the woodcuts from
Wirzbięta's press. The representations of goats
climbing tree trunks constitute an interesting
testimony for the presence of the motif which is of
interest to researchers of Renaissance visual and
symbolical culture. The Polish willow-tree is not a
unique image that suddenly appears in the 16th
century, being rooted, in all likelihood, in the same
tradition as Italian and German works. However, the
Polish use of a universal motif originally modifies
the iconographic heritage of Europę: the old scene,
thanks to the shifting of accents and a new
interpretation, transforms it from a symbol of persi-
stent striving into one of persistent resistance.
JUSTYNA KjLIAŃCZYK-ZlĘBA
alteration marks a crucial change, sińce, thanks to it,
it is possible to treat Rej's poem as a text explaining
the "silent speech" of the device. The enigmatic vi-
sual representation becomes comprehensible, having
been explained by a contemporary of Wirzbięta's -
and, what is morę, his co-worker and fellow believer,
as well as an author of emblems. The printer's gesture
of making the pzctura his own device proves that
Wirzbięta appreciated and fully accepted Rej's
interpretation of the willow-tree's symbolism.
It is possible to find Mediaeval illuminations and
16th-century engravings whose composition and
content invoke associations with the woodcuts from
Wirzbięta's press. The representations of goats
climbing tree trunks constitute an interesting
testimony for the presence of the motif which is of
interest to researchers of Renaissance visual and
symbolical culture. The Polish willow-tree is not a
unique image that suddenly appears in the 16th
century, being rooted, in all likelihood, in the same
tradition as Italian and German works. However, the
Polish use of a universal motif originally modifies
the iconographic heritage of Europę: the old scene,
thanks to the shifting of accents and a new
interpretation, transforms it from a symbol of persi-
stent striving into one of persistent resistance.