
Ocni effigies, de iis qui meretricibus do-
nant, quod in bonos usus
verti debeat.[1]
A representation of Ocnus. On those who give to whores what should be turned to good use.
Emblema xci.
Impiger haud cessat funem contexere sparto,
Humidaque artifici iungere fila manu.[2]
Sed quantum multis vix torquet strenuus horis,
Protinus ignavi ventris asella vorat.
Femina iners animal facili congesta marito
Lucra rapit, mundum prodigit ínque suum.
Ocnus never stops busily plaiting rope from broom, joining the damp fibres with skilful hand. But what he manages to spin with great effort in many hours the she-ass, a beast with greedy guts, continuously consumes. - Woman, an idle creature, grabs the accumulated savings from her complaisant husband and squanders it on her own adornment.

ID ex Pausaniae Phocicis. Ocnus texens è junco
restim vel funem, quem asella prope astans con-
festim voret, gnavum & industrium hominem no-
tat, qui uxorem habet quae statim dilapidet & ab-
sumat quicquid ille suo labore conquisierit: ut est
mulierum quoddam genus maximè sumptuosum
& prodigum.

L’effigie d’Ocnus: de ceux qui donnent aux
putains ce qui devoit estre converti
en bons usages.
UN cordier aspre à son ouvrage,
Le long du jour va travaillant:
Il file, il est tousjours veillant,
Mais non à proffit de mesnage.
Car une Asnesse mange tout
Ses chordes d’herbes jusqu’au bout:
Ainsi la femme despensiere
Consume bien souvent en vain
De son trop bon mary le gain,
Du reste ne s’en souci’ guiere.
CEcy est tiré des Phociques de Pausa-
nias. Ocnus tissant une chorde de jonc,
qu’une asnesse estant à costé devore inconti-
nent signifie un homme actif, & diligent, qui
ha une femme qui despense & consume aus-
si tost tout ce que le pauvre homme aura
gaigné à la sueur de son corps, comme c’est
la maniere de quelques femmes d’estre gran-
des despencieres & prodigues.
1. The painting by Polygnotus depicting this scene is described in Pausanias, Periegesis 29.2. See also Propertius, Elegies 4.3.21; Erasmus, Adagia 383, Contorquet piger funiculum. Ocnus, idleness personified, was a proverbial example of wasted effort.
2. Variant reading: artificis ... manu, ‘with a craftman’s hand’.
Related Emblems
- [Alciato, Andrea, 1536: Ocni effigies, de his qui meretricibus donant, quod in bonos usus verti debeat. Leffigie de Ocnus contre ceulx qui donnent aux garses ce quon doibt convertir a bon usaige.]
- [Alciato, Andrea, 1549: L'image de Ocne. De ceulx qui donnent aulx paillardes: ce que debvoit estre converty en bons usages.]
- [Alciato, Andrea, 1615: L'effegie d'Ocnus, contre ceux qui donnent auxgarses ce qu'on doit convertir à bon usage.]
Iconclass Keywords
Relating to the image:
- (ball of) yarn (+ reeds, rushes ~ crafts, industries, agriculture) [47H352(+442)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- (high) hill [25H113] Search | Browse Iconclass
- adult man (+ two persons) [31D14(+72)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm stretched forward - AA - both arms or hands (+ holding something) [31AA2512(+933)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- ass, donkey (+ animals eating and drinking) [46C13142(+745)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- city-walls [25I146] Search | Browse Iconclass
- clothing for the upper part of the body (+ men's clothes) [41D223(+81)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- drawing, pulling something [31A2747] Search | Browse Iconclass
- dress, gown (+ men's clothes) [41D211(+81)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- gear for legs and feet (+ men's clothes) [41D233(+81)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- head-gear (+ men's clothes) [41D221(+81)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- looking downwards [31B6212] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Ocnus, usually twisting a cord which is eaten by an ass as soon as it is being made [9.30E+87] Search | Browse Iconclass
- one leg in front of the other, walking position (+ standing) [31A26211(+51)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- pushing something [31A2748] Search | Browse Iconclass
- rope-making [47H41] Search | Browse Iconclass
- sitting on an elevation [31A2352] Search | Browse Iconclass
- spinning (manufacture of yarn) (+ men (labourers)) [47H31(+21)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- tools, aids, implements ~ crafts and industries: rope [47D8(ROPE)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- trousers, breeches (+ men's clothes) [41D231(+81)] Search | Browse Iconclass
Relating to the text:
- Industriousness, Assiduity; 'Assiduità', 'Industria', 'Zelo' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [54A11(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- marriage, married couple, 'matrimonium' [42D3] Search | Browse Iconclass
- shrubs (with NAME) [25G31(BROOM)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Sluggishness, Inertia; 'Dapocaggine', 'Pigritia' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [54AA11(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Squandering, Extravagance, Prodigality, Waste; 'Prodigalità' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [55C11(+4):42D36] Search | Browse Iconclass
- whore, prostitute [33C520] Search | Browse Iconclass
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