Emblems. VAN VEEN. Les emblemes de l'amour humain du Sieur Otho Venius.

Oblong 4to. 159x200 mm. Quarter vellum and hardcover binding. Pages [16, including Title-page], 247, [1]. Page 247 badly numbered 747. Vignette with portrait of Ovid on the Title-page, a large figure showing Venus on his chariot and 124 oval figures, all engraved on copper. Two Ex-libris glued to the inside cover, Handwritten dedication to the first endpaper dated '1914'. Widespread traces of wear, unsophisticated copy.

Rare edition given by François Foppens in Brussels. The plates are engraved by Corneille Boel on the original drawings by Van Veen. The images are very curious, all with Cupid as the protagonist: one emblem [p21], shows a gladiator killing a dragon; another Cupid being burned at the stake; another Cupid fighting with soldiers. Like the first edition of Antwerp, from 1608, the work contains Latin, Italian and French verses. In the news to the reader, the publisher explains that he has purchased the books and the original printing blocks of Van Veen's works, of which he reports titles and number of engravings, and that he has decided to republish them. Otto Vaenius, 1556-1629, or Van Veen, 1556-1629, Latinized Otto Vaenius, was one of Rubens' masters.