Promptuarium Iconum Insigniorum

Promptuarium Iconum Insigniorum
Title page of the book, showing an engraved image of an eagle poised atop a globe flanked by two serpents and the Latin motto, "In virtute, et fortuna"
Title page of the first Latin edition, bearing Rouillé's emblem[a] and motto.[b] "D.MEM.S." is an abbreviation for Dis Memoribus Sacrum.[2]: 189 [c]
AuthorGuillaume Rouillé (debated)[2]: 208–209 
IllustratorGeorges Reverdy[3]
Language
  • Latin
  • French
  • Italian (1553)
Spanish (1561)
Subject
PublisherGuillaume Rouillé
Publication date
1553
Publication placeKingdom of France
Media typePrint
Pages
  • 172 (part I)
  • 247 (part II)
OCLC716696497
TextPromptuarium Iconum Insigniorum at Internet Archive

Prima [et Secunda] pars Promptuarii iconum insigniorum à seculo hominum, subiectis eorum vitis, per compendium ex probatissimis autoribus desumptis.[d] (Latin for 'The First [and Second] Part of the Storehouse of Images of the More Notable Men from the Beginning of Time, with Their Biographies Subjoined, Taken in Abbreviated Form from the Most Approved Authors.'), often abbreviated as Promptuarium Iconum Insigniorum or Promptuarium Iconum,[e] is an iconographic compilation of woodcut portraits published in 1553 by Guillaume Rouillé, a French merchant-publisher active in early modern Lyon's book trade. Originally released in Latin, French, and Italian editions, the book features portrait engravings in a medallion format, arranged in a primarily chronological order from Old Testament figures and Greco-Roman deities through mid-16th-century contemporaries. Many of these portraits are fictitious, relying on Rouillé's physiognomic interpretations and the engraver's artistic license. While the engraver is unnamed in the text, bibliographer Henri-Louis Baudrier later attributed the portraits to the artist Georges Reverdy [fr].

The book is divided into two sections: Prima pars ('First Part'), covering figures predating Christ, and Pars secunda ('Second Part'), documenting individuals from the Christian era onward. Published as a single volume, these sections maintain separate pagination systems. The first editions each contained 828 portraits with accompanying biographical summaries, though the textual authorship remains debated. The book's commercial success led to subsequent editions in multiple languages, which included a Spanish edition in 1561. The 1577 French edition expanded the collection with approximately 100 additional engravings, placing greater emphasis on Renaissance humanist scholars. The portraits overall emulate ancient coinage designs, yet they lack the numismatic detail required for scholarly reference. Rouillé's aim was to distill complex histories into standardized imagery and concise narratives, so that the past was made accessible for a general audience. The compilation influenced European iconographic collections over the following decades, shaping their portrayal of historical figures from the latter half of the 16th century well into the 17th.

  1. ^ a b Davis, Natalie Zemon (1966). "Publisher Guillaume Rouillé, Businessman and Humanist". In Schoeck, Richard J. (ed.). Editing Sixteenth-Century Texts: Papers Given at the Editorial Conference, University of Toronto October 1965. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9781487582128. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2024 – via Academia.edu.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Dubu was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Baudrier, Henri-Louis; Baudrier, Julien; Tricou, Georges (1912) [1895]. Bibliographie lyonnaise: recherches sur les imprimeurs, libraires, relieurs et fondeurs de lettres de Lyon au XVIe siècle par le Président Baudrier, publiées et continuées par J. Baudrier [Bibliography of Lyon: Research on the printers, booksellers, bookbinders, and founders of letters in Lyon in the 16th century by President Baudrier, published and continued by J. Baudrier] (in French). Vol. 9. Lyon: Librairie ancienne d'Auguste Brun. p. 207. OCLC 6966263. Retrieved December 29, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ "Fine Books & Manuscripts – 2730B: 269. Rouillé, Guillaume (c. 1518–1589) Prima [et Secunda] Pars Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum a Seculo Hominum". Bonhams Skinner. May 31, 2014. Archived from the original on September 19, 2024. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Cunnally was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Baudrier, Henri-Louis; Baudrier, Julien; Tricou, Georges (1912) [1895]. Bibliographie lyonnaise: recherches sur les imprimeurs, libraires, relieurs et fondeurs de lettres de Lyon au XVIe siècle par le Président Baudrier, publiées et continuées par J. Baudrier [Bibliography of Lyon: Research on the printers, booksellers, bookbinders, and founders of letters in Lyon in the 16th century by President Baudrier, published and continued by J. Baudrier] (in French). Vol. 9. Lyon: Librairie ancienne d'Auguste Brun. p. 204. OCLC 6966263. Retrieved December 29, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
  7. ^ Nobili, Riccardo (1922). "VIII. Imitation, Plagiarism, and Faking". The Gentle Art of Faking: A history of the methods of producing imitations & spurious works of art from the earliest times up to the present day. London: Seeley Service & Co. Ltd. p. 93. Archived from the original on September 14, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024 – via Project Gutenberg.
  8. ^ Stein, Gabriele (2014) [1985]. "12. The Promptuarium parvulorum". The English Dictionary Before Cawdrey. Lexicographica. Series Maior. Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag. p. 91. doi:10.1515/9783111664873. ISBN 9783484309098.


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