A World of Signs: Baroque Pansemioticism, the Polyhistor and the Early Modern Wunderkammer

This paper is an attempt to argue that there existed a very prominent view of signs and signification in late sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Europe which can help us to understand several puzzling aspects of baroque culture. This view, called here "pansemioticism," constituted a fundamental part of the baroque conception of the world. After sketching the content and importance of pansemioticism, I will show how it can help us to understand the (from a modern perspective) rather puzzling concept of the polymath, or polyhistor, which constituted the ideal of the baroque scientist. In this context I will also discuss a seventeenth century phenomenon essentially connected with polyhistorism, namely that of the early modern polyhistorical collections, the Wunderkammern. Since such a study needs a clearly determined focal point, we will concentrate on the last three quarters of the seventeenth century and will mainly discuss works by German authors of the time. ¹

The Pansemiotic World View

The particular view of signs and significations mentioned above is sometimes called "emblematic world view" ² or "emblematischer Weltentwurf." ³ This is the idea that every object, whether natural or artificial signifies one or several other objects (which can in turn be abstract qualities, virtues or vices, or particular states of affairs or events). ⁴ Although the notion of an emblem is intimately connected with such a conception of signs, as we shall see below, its existence is in no way necessary for the formulation of such a theory. I therefore prefer to borrow a term of Eco's and call the above baroque "pansemioticism" ⁵ in order to indicate that the use of emblems is no cause, but rather an effect of a fundamental semiotic theory. ⁶

This notion of pansemioticism seems to be a central idea which allows one to make sense of a number of baroque phenomena. Indeed, its importance for understanding baroque culture can hardly be overestimated. ⁷ Some evidence for this pansemiotic world view can be gained from the baroque fascination with things as diverse as hieroglyphics, antique coins, or epigrams. Hieroglyphics promised to reveal the most ancient wisdom of Egypt, ⁸ gave an example of a marvelous language which was believed to convey mystical knowledge in symbolic, iconographical form ⁹ and, most importantly, described the meaning behind natural objects.

The meaning of the hieroglyphic sign for a certain animal given by Horapollo was considered as the hidden meaning of the animal itself, "Animals were the living characters in the language of the creator...." ¹⁰ This view of hieroglyphics was not restricted to animals, but was assumed to hold in general. ¹¹ Francis Quarles stated in his emblem book Hieroglyphikes of the Life of Man (1638) that, "before the knowledge of letters, GOD was known by Hieroglyphicks; And, indeed, what are the Heavens, the Earth, nay every creature but Hiero-glyphicks and Emblemes of His glory?" ¹²

Antique coins usually showed a portrait on one side and an image with a symbolic meaning on the reverse. Renaissance and baroque medals were constructed as imitations of such coins. ¹³ Medals were particularly attractive for the seventeenth-century mind because they fulfilled a double function. On the one hand they provided authentic information about ancient symbolism at a time where ancient civilizations were still considered to be in the possession of particularly valuable insights into the hidden significations of things, which were later lost or destroyed. ¹⁴ On the other hand the construction of the medal allowed to show how every thing literally had two sides, ¹⁵ one open and manifest (the recto side with the portrait), and one concealed and unseen side (the verso side with the symbolic image) which only made sense to those who knew how to interpret the hidden significations of phenomena. ¹⁶

The Renaissance and baroque conception of the epigram, heavily influenced by Erasmus's Adages...