DOI issue:
Nr. 1-4
DOI article:Bentkowska-Kafel, Anna: Navigatio Vitae: elements of Emblematic Symbolism in 17th century Dutch seascapes
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18898#0037
4. Hadrianus de Jonge, Petram imitare. juventus (after Emblemata. Handbuch... op. cit.)
The ladder, just as Jacob's ladder of the Old Testament, laeds from the earth to heaven, from
the vale of evil to God; it is a path of truth and certainty. By expressing trust in God, Georgctte
de Montenay's emblem enhanccs the expression of the scenę shown in A. J. Bellevois's painting
where the idea of the poemis embodied by the shipwrecked sailors in prayer. The motif of the
barely accessible castle is not accidental either. Its symbolic meaning is explained by Picinelli:
the castle is, among other things, a symbol of help and protection, at the same time symbolizing
fame, glorious heroic deeds and virtue;it signifies belief and hope placed in God, which is exprcssed
by the motto Auxilium e codo? Spes inDeo (Help from heaven? Hope in God).24. The meanings
partly overlap with the symbolic value of other elements of the Dutch paintcr's picture: the
rough sea, the ship and the rocks. The dramatic event from sailors' lives was enriched by a more
profound reflection concerning man's life, the vicissitudes of his fate, inconstancy and the inevi-
tability of evcnts. There is aslo an edifying aspect in it, as it instructs that one must not yield
23. G. de Montenay, Monumentu Emblemalum Christianorum Yirlulum tum Polilicarum, tum Oeconomicarum chorum Centuria
Una..., Lyon, 1571 (later septilingual editions); cf. Henkel, Schóne, op. cit., col. 1416.
This man here, ready to fali headlong
And hurt himself, at least apparently,
He keeps aseending higher and higher and his step grows more and more secure,
Aware that God supports him in his certainty.
Hence may every Christian pray in trust
To God who supports him and never leaves him.
If he deserts us, there is no hope
For any other salvation.
24. F. Picinelli, Mondo Simbolico, op. cit., Lib. XVI: Aedificia, capo I: Castello, No. 4.
31
The ladder, just as Jacob's ladder of the Old Testament, laeds from the earth to heaven, from
the vale of evil to God; it is a path of truth and certainty. By expressing trust in God, Georgctte
de Montenay's emblem enhanccs the expression of the scenę shown in A. J. Bellevois's painting
where the idea of the poemis embodied by the shipwrecked sailors in prayer. The motif of the
barely accessible castle is not accidental either. Its symbolic meaning is explained by Picinelli:
the castle is, among other things, a symbol of help and protection, at the same time symbolizing
fame, glorious heroic deeds and virtue;it signifies belief and hope placed in God, which is exprcssed
by the motto Auxilium e codo? Spes inDeo (Help from heaven? Hope in God).24. The meanings
partly overlap with the symbolic value of other elements of the Dutch paintcr's picture: the
rough sea, the ship and the rocks. The dramatic event from sailors' lives was enriched by a more
profound reflection concerning man's life, the vicissitudes of his fate, inconstancy and the inevi-
tability of evcnts. There is aslo an edifying aspect in it, as it instructs that one must not yield
23. G. de Montenay, Monumentu Emblemalum Christianorum Yirlulum tum Polilicarum, tum Oeconomicarum chorum Centuria
Una..., Lyon, 1571 (later septilingual editions); cf. Henkel, Schóne, op. cit., col. 1416.
This man here, ready to fali headlong
And hurt himself, at least apparently,
He keeps aseending higher and higher and his step grows more and more secure,
Aware that God supports him in his certainty.
Hence may every Christian pray in trust
To God who supports him and never leaves him.
If he deserts us, there is no hope
For any other salvation.
24. F. Picinelli, Mondo Simbolico, op. cit., Lib. XVI: Aedificia, capo I: Castello, No. 4.
31