Andrea Alciato

Andrea Alciato ( Andrea Alciati, lat Andreas Alciatus; born May 8, 1492 Alzate Brianza near the Lake Como, † January 12, 1550 in Pavia ) was an Italian jurist and humanist.

Life

Alciato studied at the universities of Milan, Pavia and Bologna Jura and the classical languages. On March 18, 1516, he received the title of Doctor in Ferrara both rights, although he had not studied there. He then worked as a lawyer in Milan. From 1518 he was professor of law at Avignon. But this point he was already in 1522 due to fee disputes on again. Between 1522 and 1527 he lived again as a lawyer in Milan, when the city was successively occupied by the French and Spanish troops and ravaged by the plague. Alciato then dealt with historical and humanistic studies. So he translated Greek authors such as Aristophanes and he began his epigrams, which he later used in his famous emblem book. 1527 he returned as professor back to Avignon, where he accepted a pay cut. 1529 he took over at the invitation of Francis I. a professorship in Bourges, where he taught until 1533. Among his pupils was John Calvin. 1530 his work De verborum significatione and Commentarii ad rescripta principum were printed in Lyon. 1533 he returned to Italy and worked as a professor in Pavia ( 1533-37, 1541-43, 1546-50 ), Bologna ( 1537-41 ) and in Ferrara ( 1543-46 ) at the court of Duke Ercole d' Este. Andrea Alciato died in 1550 in Pavia.

Emblematum liber

His most famous work is the Alciatos Emblematum liber, whose first edition was produced in 1531 by Heinrich Steyner in Augsburg. Years before Alciato had a collection of Greek epigrams ( Anthologia epigrammatum Graecorum ) translated into Latin in 1529 and can also be printed in Basel. Each epigram received a brief headline that doctrinal essence of the poetic text. A well-known scholar, the German humanist Conrad Peutinger (1465-1547) led the Augsburg edition, texts were used for the Alciatos. After drawings by the artist Jörg Breu the Elder of Augsburg. created the woodcuts for the book, made ​​probably by Hans Schaufelin ( his monogram is found in a second Augsburg edition of 1531). In order for the new and soon successful European form of the emblem was found, consisting of three parts: Headline, Image and poetic text ( Lemma, Icon and epigram ). Andrea Alciato was at the origin of the first edition apparently not directly involved. In authorized by the Paris Act of 1534, he was highly critical to the earlier edition, which had various handicraft and editorial errors.

The great success of the book prompted Alciato to a new, carefully edited edition, now with 113 - instead of the previous 104 - emblems that came out under his name in 1534 with Christian Wechel in Paris; the third edition of 1542 contained two other epigrams. The Aldus Manutius of Venice brought out version of 1546 was supplemented by 84 more emblems. The following edition was brought out in France by Guillaume Rouillé. This was the basis for further reprints and editions in Latin, Italian, Spanish, French and English. As definitive edition, the 1550, apply in the year of death Alciatos, published in Lyon. This includes all self -derived Alciato Emblems that are all illustrated.

Alciatos emblem book was for artists and clients from the Renaissance to the Baroque a rich iconographic source.

Double page 1531

Emblem Add Astrologos, 1531

Emblem Ex bello pax 1531

Emblem Foedera, 1534th

Emblem Mentem non formam ... 1531

Emblem Qui alta contemplan ... 1531