Art, Symbol & Imagination
The Four Figures and Their Shared Life: Emblem XIX
Three closely joined figures confront a fourth who lifts a club above them. A distant town and open ground give the conflict a public stage. Emblem XIX’s motto warns that killing one of the four destroys them all, making their interdependence the subject of the image.
Read the source pageLoading your collection…
Citation
Matthaeus Merian. "The Four Figures and Their Shared Life: Emblem XIX" [editorial title]. In Atalanta Fugiens, Michael Maier. Inspected engraved title: Oppenheim, Hieronymus Galler for Johann Theodor de Bry, M DC XVIII (1618). Latin and German historical printing with musical fugues and engraved emblems, final errata. Printing date checked on an enlarged crop of the existing title derivative. No modern English translation or new commentary., 1618, Hieronymus Galler for Johann Theodor de Bry. Source scan leaf 93. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/maier-four-elements
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Descriptive title supplied for browsing. The complete original page retains its Latin motto, epigram, margins and paper tone. The scene belongs to Maier’s historical alchemical allegory.
Sources
From the book
Atalanta FugiensMichael Maier1618More from this book
All 50 illustrations
Related illustrations
Cite this illustration
Matthaeus Merian. The Four Figures and Their Shared Life: Emblem XIX. Atalanta Fugiens. Scan leaf 93. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/maier-four-elements