Link to an image of this page [K1v p146]
La renommee, plus que la beauté de
femme, est de prix.
C.
Phidias fit une statue
De Venus dame en volupté.[1]
Sous ses pieds mit une Tortue,
Où les moeurs de femme a noté.
Tortue garde son hostel.
Pour faire voix, n’ouvrant la bouche.
Et tost a teste & pieds bouté
En sa maison dés qu’on la touche.
commentaires.
Alciat demande à Venus, Deesse d’Amour, que
Link to an image of this page [K2r p147]
veut dire ceste effigie, & ceste tortue qu’elle a sous son
pied. Venus respond, que ce n’est pas sans cause qu’elle
a esté ainsi formee & façonnee par
Phidias, cest excel-
lent sculpteur en yvoire. Car il a voulu exprimer par
ceste image, quelles il faut que les femmes & les filles
soyent, sçavoir est taciturnes, & demeurans à la mai
son. Car la tortue ne parle aucunement, & ne sort
jamais de sa maison. Au contraire, quelque part qu’el-
le aille, elle la porte tousjours avec soy, comme aussi le
dit Esope en ses fables. Phidias, comme j’estime,
a-
voit bien appris, que la femme estoit un animal babil-
lard, recherchant tout, & changeant souvent de pla-
ce: car si bien on l’empesche de trotter toutes les fois
qu’elle voudroit, la fenestre toutesfois luy est si bonne
amie, que jamais elle ne l’abandonne.
1. Phidias’ statue of Aphrodite with one foot on a tortoise, set up at Elis, is mentioned by Pausanias, Periegesis 6.25.1. The tortoise is a symbol of ideal female domesticity, as it keeps silent and never leaves its house see Plutarch Coniugalia praecepta 32 (Mor. 142).
Related Emblems
- [Alciato, Andrea, 1536: Mulieris famam, non formam vulgatam esse oportere. La renommee plus que la beaulte de femme est de pris.]
- [Alciato, Andrea, 1549: Publiée soit de la femmeNon la beaulté, mais bonne fame.]
- [Alciato, Andrea, 1584: Mulieris famam, non formam, vulgatam esse oportere. Que le bon renom de la femme doibt estre publié non la beauté.]
Iconclass Keywords
Relating to the image:
- (story of) Venus (Aphrodite) [92C4] Search | Browse Iconclass
- adult woman [31D15] Search | Browse Iconclass
- animals (+ wings of an animal) [25F(+342)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm held downwards [31A2515] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm stretched forward (+ indicating, pointing at) [31A2512(+931)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- attributes of Venus: turtle [92C48(TURTLE)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- barefoot [41D2339] Search | Browse Iconclass
- bed [41A761] Search | Browse Iconclass
- bedroom [41A23] Search | Browse Iconclass
- bent legs extended forwards or backwards, with knee or foot placed on an elevation - AA - female human figure (+ sitting) [31AA2622(+53)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- boy (child between toddler and youth) (+ nude human being) [31D11221(+89)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- chest, bust (+ nude human being) [31A222(+89)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- fingers spread out (+ indicating, pointing at) [31A25512(+931)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- hangings and drapery [41A422] Search | Browse Iconclass
- housewife [42F10] Search | Browse Iconclass
- mask, mascaron ~ ornament [48A98211] Search | Browse Iconclass
- other non-aggressive activities of Cupid [92D156] Search | Browse Iconclass
- other specific aspects of Venus (with NAME) [92C473(DOMESTICA)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- piece of sculpture, reproduction of a piece of sculpture [48C24] Search | Browse Iconclass
- sitting on an elevation [31A2352] Search | Browse Iconclass
- skirt (+ women's clothes) [41D232(+82)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- tortoises, turtles (+ animal(s) being wounded) [25F44(+62)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- tortoises, turtles (+ animals used symbolically) [25F44(+1)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- trampling, treading, stamping on someone or something - AA - female human figure [31AA2726] Search | Browse Iconclass
- woman (showing herself) undressed, quasi-nude [41D92] Search | Browse Iconclass
Relating to the text:
- Beauty; 'Bellezza' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [51D4(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Fame; 'Fama', 'Fama buona', 'Fama chiara' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [59B32(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Good Behaviour (+ emblematical representation of concept) [57A1(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- male persons from classical history (with NAME) non-aggressive activities of person from classical history [98B(PHIDIAS)5] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Taciturnity; 'Secretezza', 'Secretezza overo Taciturnit�' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [52DD3(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
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