Emblem of the couple and the procuress, by Unknown (1617)

Emblema de Celestina.jpg

Title

Emblem of the couple and the procuress, by Unknown (1617)

Creator

Unknown

Date

1617

Description

This emblem represents a typical Celestinesque scene where a naked young woman rests on a bed while a young man approaches her holding the hand of an old woman who acts as a procuress. The Latin description reads:

"Est meretrix dicta quæ reddit verbula ficta Exterius picta verum interius maledicta, Attrahit vt viscus, sed decipit vt basiliscus. Incidit in crimen, meretricis tangere limen Qui non horrescit, imprimis dum juuenescit Scribatur portis: meretrix est janua mortis."
("The one who speaks false words is called a prostitute. She is all painted on the outside, on the inside, however, she is cursed. She lures like birdlime, but deceives like a basilisk. Whoever approaches the door of a prostitute commits a crime. He who is not horrified, while young, shall write on doors: a prostitute is the door of death." )

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