Provenance

Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II Habsburg, Prague

Austrian, 1552 - 1612

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This appears to be the front cover of an old leather-bound book. The book is covered with red leather with the word "IGNIS" embossed in gold in the center. The cover shows signs of wear and aging, with visible scuffs, scratches, and discoloration. There are four brass clasps on the edges of the book: one on the top and bottom edges, and two on the right side.
Joris Hoefnagel, Animalia Rationalia et Insecta (Ignis), c. 1575/1590s, bound volume of 78 drawings (incl.title page) in watercolor and gold paint on parchment, alternating with pages of ink inscriptions on paper; 2 plates (III, IV) with gold border only (80 total decorated pages), Gift of Mrs. Lessing J. Rosenwald, 1987.20.5

Animalia Rationalia et Insecta (Ignis)

Joris Hoefnagel · c. 1575/1590s · bound volume of 78 drawings (incl.title page) in watercolor and gold paint on parchment, alternating with pages of ink inscriptions on paper; 2 plates (III, IV) with gold border only (80 total decorated pages) ·  Accession ID  1987.20.5

This image depicts an ornately designed manuscript page. The central text block is titled "ANIMALIA RATIONALIA ET INSECTA," framed within a decorative border. The top features an intricate scroll design with various colors and an inscription in a fiery cartouche with the word "IGNIS." The corners of the frame include decorative flourishes in pink, yellow, blue, and green hues, with ribbon-like extensions and hanging accents. At the bottom, a smaller inscription reads "Qui fecit Angelos spiritus suos: Et ministros suos flammam verentem," within a blue-bordered decorative bracket with stylized elements. This style is reminiscent of illuminated manuscripts from the Renaissance or Baroque period.
Joris Hoefnagel, Title Page, c.1575/1590s, watercolor and gold paint on parchment, Gift of Mrs. Lessing J. Rosenwald, 1987.20.5.1

Title Page

Joris Hoefnagel · c.1575/1590s · watercolor and gold paint on parchment ·  Accession ID  1987.20.5.1

Cast in bronze, one woman stands over a second crouching woman in this free-standing sculpture. Both women are nude, muscular, and have long wavy hair pulled back under bands. The golden-brown surface of the bronze is highly polished and smooth. In this photograph, the standing woman’s body faces us. Representing Empire, her head is encircled with a ring of laurel leaves, and she lifts her left hand, to our right, high overhead to hold up a second crown of leaves. She looks down onto the second woman, representing Avarice, and presses her hand into the Avarice’s shoulder, pushing the latter down. Empire balances on one foot and presses the other into Avarice’s hips, also destabilizing the latter’s stance. Avarice falls back onto one hand, which grips a purse on the ground. Avarice looks up at Empire with her mouth open and her left arm, farther from us, raised. Coins spill out on the square base, which is just big enough for Empire’s planted foot, the purse, and Avarice’s unstable feet.
Adriaen de Vries, Empire Triumphant over Avarice, 1610, bronze, Widener Collection, 1942.9.148

Empire Triumphant over Avarice

Adriaen de Vries · 1610 · bronze ·  Accession ID  1942.9.148