Joannes Sambucus and the Learned Image: The Use of the Emblem in Late-Renaissance Humanism (review)

This is an important and challenging book, the first comprehensive study of Sambucus's influential Emblemata (first published by Christopher Plantin in 1564). The author's approach combines detailed analysis of a specific corpus of poetry with research on the historical and literary contexts in which this poetry was produced. Unlike their vernacular counterparts, Neo-Latin emblem books have been underrepresented in modern studies. Visser's monograph therefore comes as a long-overdue and much-needed scholarly contribution to the field. The book charts essential aspects of humanist cultural history and recovers the image of Sambucus. The latter is particularly interesting, for what Visser aims to highlight is the image of Sambucus which Sambucus himself — together with friends, correspondents, publishers and close collaborators — consciously constructed for the public.

The evidence selected is precisely focused and interpreted with a great degree of originality. Visser pleads — persuasively, I think — for historical contextualization as the central principle of his study, starting from the idea that the emblem as genre should never be viewed as an isolated literary phenomenon. The book has been structured so that the point of departure is the background of the author (Sambucus) and his gifted publisher (Plantin). Visser provides an impressive wealth of information. He discusses the public identities of the two men from several angles simultaneously. In the case of Sambucus, Visser takes into account the humanist's social background, patronage, and religious attitude, plus his impact as philologist and collector, and the unique qualities of his creative writing. The examination of Plantin is meant to place the Emblemata in a wider context. The chapter includes valuable data regarding the publisher's production costs, profit margins, marketing, and his activities between 1555-89. The next two sections analyse Sambucus's connection to his readers by concentrating on the original preface and the use of dedications. These chapters focus mainly on the humanist's understanding of the term emblema, his particular vision of creative imitation, and the rhetorical strategies chosen by Sambucus to reach his audience. Visser's subtle comments on the interrelations established between authors and publishers, publishers and readers, and readers and authors are followed by an insightful discussion on the history, subject matter, structure, and style of epigrams. Sambucus's preference for ambiguous vocabulary, brevity and paradox, and his emphasis on clear, logical argument are analyzed in some detail. His use of classical sources is also taken into account. Considerations such as the selection of texts, their transformation into emblematic epigrams, and the tradition of commonplace-books are all given detailed attention. Finally, after he sets the bases — enabling a present-day reader to gain some understanding of Sambucus's poetry and the particularities of the genre he practiced — Visser engages in a well-conducted and very thorough discussion on the connection between image and word. Since the essence of the emblem lies in the special use of pictura, this is a crucial chapter in the organization of the book. Once again Visser produces an inspired analysis, discussing the various models followed. He focuses mainly on aspects related to the production and integration of the woodcuts within the text.

Visser concludes his study by arguing for the priority of the text in emblem books. He suggests that, no matter how visually striking and accomplished these books might be, images (often created without the draughtsman having read the poems) appear to have a lesser status, occasionally even little connection with the text.

Visser pleads his case so well that we are left with few uncertainties. This is a new voice from whom we shall hear much more. His scholarship is founded on close textual analysis from which refreshing ideas and polemics derive. His highly personal rhetoric, impressive wealth of information, and exciting and detailed analyses...