The Collections
Emblematica Online draws from the most important collections of emblematica worldwide. It is hosted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and its founding partner is the Herzog August Bibliothek, Wolfenbüttel. Contributing partners include Glasgow University Library and Utrecht University, which contributed both book- and emblem-level data. Additional contributors include the Getty Research Institute Library and Duke University Library, both of which contributed book-level information. Read more
What is an Emblem?
Emblems are concise yet potent combinations of texts and images that invite, and require, decoding. In a concise format, they reveal the mentalities and attitudes of the period from c. 1500-1800 in an assemblage of texts and images. Typically an emblem consists of a motto, an often puzzling image called the pictura, and a subtext called a subscriptione or epigram. Read more
