Link to an image of this page [X8r f168r]
EI QUI SEMEL SUA PRO-
degerit, aliena credi non oportere.
Others’ property should not be entrusted to a person who has once squandered his own
Emblema. 54.
Colchidos in gremio nidum quid congeris? heu
Nescia cur pullos tam male credis avis?
Dira parens Medea suos saevissîma natos
Perdidit, & speras parcat ut illa tuis?[1]
Why do you build your nest in the bosom of the woman from Colchis? Alas, ignorant bird, why do you entrust your nestlings so mistakenly? That frightful mother, Medea, in her savagery slew her own children. Do you expect her to spare yours?
1. This is based on Anthologia graeca 9.346, a much-translated epigram, on the subject of a swallow that built her nest on a representation of Medea. Colchidos, ‘of the woman from Colchis’, refers to Medea, from Colchis on the Black Sea, who slew her children by Jason, leader of the Argonauts, to avenge his unfaithfulness. See further [A15a078].
To view the commentary for this emblem, press the link to the facsimile image of this page above, and thereafter use the 'Next facsimile' and 'Previous facsimile' links to navigate through the commentary.
Related Emblems
Show related emblemsHint: You can set whether related emblems are displayed by default on the preferences page
Iconclass Keywords
Relating to the image:
- adult woman [31D15] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm or hand held in front of the body (+ holding something) [31A2516(+933)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm raised upward (+ holding something) [31A2511(+933)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- birds (+ animals nesting; making nests, lodges, webs, etc.) [25F3(+4712)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- birds (+ postures, positions of animal(s)) [25F3(+53)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- castle [41A12] Search | Browse Iconclass
- chest, bust (+ nude human being) [31A222(+89)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- child (+ nude human being) [31D112(+89)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- clouds [26A] Search | Browse Iconclass
- hacking and thrusting weapons: sword [45C13(SWORD)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- head slanting to the left - AA - female human figure [31AA245] Search | Browse Iconclass
- killing a child (absence of parental love) [42B29] Search | Browse Iconclass
- landscape with tower or castle [25I5] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Medea kills her two children; she flees from Corinth in a chariot drawn by winged dragons (+ variant) [94A74(+0)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- monument, statue [25I152] Search | Browse Iconclass
- mother and baby or young child [42A3] Search | Browse Iconclass
- other architectural details (with NAME) [48C168(NICHE)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- piece of sculpture, reproduction of a piece of sculpture [48C24] Search | Browse Iconclass
- skirt (+ women's clothes) [41D232(+82)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- standing, leaning, sitting or lying with legs crossed - AA - female human figure (+ standing) [31AA2627(+51)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- violent death by sword [31E234631] Search | Browse Iconclass
- woman (showing herself) undressed, quasi-nude [41D92] Search | Browse Iconclass
Relating to the text:
- Misplaced Trust, False Confidence, 'Pax Falsa'; 'Speranza fallace' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [56D29(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Squandering, Extravagance, Prodigality, Waste; 'ProdigalitĂ ' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [55C11(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
Hint: You can turn translations and name underlining on or off using the preferences page.
