Amorum emblemata, figuris aeneis incisa.

4to oblong: [14]-247-[1] pp. (lacking prelim. f. 4; a few lvs browning, some minor staining or soiling, sm. marg. tear in Q4 repaired).

20th-c. blind-stamped leather, spine with 4 raised bands, mod. endpapers. Good copy.

Very rare first edition of a beautiful major collection of love emblems by the Antwerp artist and teacher of P.P. Rubens, Otto Vaenius (1556-1629), intended for the cultured elite of the Low Countries. Otto van Veen or Vaenius (1556-1629) “was one of the foremost painters and best engravers of his time. In the field of book illustration he became famous as the creator of the very important and widely imitated book of emblems entitled "Amorum emblemata", 1608. It is based on Daniel Heinsius’ "Het Ambacht van Cupido", a pictorial representation of Petrarchism, in which Cupid in all possible forms pursues man or plans to vanquish him” (Faber du Faur). With Latin liminary verses by i.a. H. Grotius and D. Heinsius (f. with verses Rubenius lacking). Woodcut mark on title. Full-page “copperplate and 124 copperplate emblems by Otto Vaenius, but for the first one which is signed by C. Boel (who also wrote a laudatory poem)” (Landwehr). The book appeared in 7 polyglot editions (or issues). The present copy belongs to the 2nd issue/state of the 1st ed., with correct(ed) pagination, and cancellans texts on M1v and M3v. Of this ed. only one copy is recorded in STCV. “The introductory poem (f. (?)1) is in Dutch, the one on f. (?)2 recto [-4 recto] is both in Dutch and French; the accompanying poems are in Latin, Dutch and French. There are other editions of this work published in the same year but with a different type setting. The Dutch and French poems on f. M1 verso and M3 verso are corrected by pasting over.” (STCV).
Ref. Landwehr (Low Countries) 826 = STCV 12918592 (1: MPM). - Faber du Faur 669. - Cp. Simoni (BL) V-21 (variant state p. 6). - Ter Meulen/Diermanse (Grotius) 267. - Funck p. 404 (no details). - Not in Emblem books Leiden.