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Jan David, S.J.'s Duodecim specula (Antwerp: Jan Moretus, 1610), an innovative emblematic treatise in twelve chapters, focuses on various kinds and degrees of specular image generated by the human soul. Each chapter responds to an opening imago , designed and engraved by Theodoor Galle, that illustrates the operations of the mirror in question. Three of the imagines, V. The Mirror of Others' Eyes , viii. The Mirror of Created Things , and X. The Mirror of Example , rather than displaying persons, actions, or things that fall under the purview of the respective mirror, instead depict the mirrored image that such a speculum is seen to reflect. Accordingly, as printed imagines that prove upon closer inspection to contain specular imagines or, better, that function as pictorial representations of particular kinds of image, these imagines imaginum (images of images) can be said to produce a trompe-l'oeil effect. They ask the reader-viewer to consider why s/he thinks s/he sees a present image when what is actually seen by the eye is a pictured image, a pictured picture, doubly mediated by the process of representation. My essay examines how and why this deceptive effect was marshaled by David as a figure of thought: by articulating the manner and meaning of these three specula in particular, he offers the reader-viewer a therapeutic antidote wherewith to combat the human propensity for idolatry and self-deception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introductory essay examines the principles of Jesuit emblematic usage, as codified by Antonio Possevino, S.J. (1533–1611) in his educational treatise Bibliotheca selecta de ratione studiorum of 1603 and developed by two of the Society's key emblematists: Jan David, S.J. (1545–1613) in his Duodecim specula of 1610 and Herman Hugo, S.J. (1588–1629) in his Pia desideria of 1624. The essay concludes by summarizing the five articles contained in this issue of the Journal of Jesuit Studies and then, on that basis, offering a brief account of the state of the question in the study of Jesuit emblematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this essay, the author examines how Hendrick Goltzius's imitative practice, embodied by the changeable Proteus, supports indeed figures his meditative theme, the circumcision. According to the author, Goltzius's handling of the theme can best be understood by reference to Jesuit meditation on the circumcision. He analyzes a local context for the application of the program of imitation of Goltzius to a series of meditative prints.

Features a discourse of color in the book, 'Pygmalion and the Ivory Statue,' invented, engraved, and published by Hendrick Goltzius in 1593. Significance of Goltzius' claim that the art that conceals art engenders love by enlivening inert matter; Ability of Goltzius to describe the luster, suppleness, and color of flesh; Analogy between Pygmalion's art and the engravings of Goltzius.

The article discusses the painting "Death of the Virgin," by Philip Galle. The painting, depicting the final moments of the Virgin's life, as presented in Pieter Bruegel's grisaille of "ca. 1564," was engraved at the behest of Abraham Ortelius in 1574. The artwork presents a codification for the doctrinal and devotional accounts of the Virgin's death and manifests the theme of salvation that forms the counterpart to Benedictus Arias Montanus' "Humanae salutis monumenta." For Ortelius, the conjunction of joy and sorrow signifies the piety of the Virgin's devotees.

The article describes Karel van Mander's critique of mnemonic practice and suggests how that critique, answered in the life and work of Hendrick Goltzius, derives from the theory and practice of schrijfconst, the art of writing. The author argues the pictorial status of writing, and explains how the calligrapher's criteria of penmanship resonate with schilderconst, the art of picturing, thus giving access to Dutch protocols of imitation and memory at the turn of the seventeenth century. It cites a series of anecdotes appended by van Mander designed to map the connection between memory and the reputation for inimitability.

Presents a critical analysis of Hendrick Goltzius' `Roman Heroes', engravings of Roman warriors. Description of the engravings; Symbolism in the engravings; Inscriptions and thematics of virtue that accompany the engravings; Allegorical features.

Discusses 17th-century artist Hendrick Goltzius' mixed media work entitled 'Venus, Bacchus and Ceres.' Demonstration of Goltzius' commend of various media; Ways in which the proverb of Terence comes to thematize Goltzius' love of artisanship; Argument of a seminal theoretical text entitled 'Schilder-Boeck,' completed by Karel van Mander in 1604.