Moral Emblems: The Beautiful World Fades

Engraved by Etienne Delaune French
Designed by Jean Delaune French

Not on view

Engraving, part of a set of 20 moral emblems, each designated by a letter of the alphabet. The set was designed by Jean Delaune and engraved by his father, Étienne Delaune, in 1580. It explores the theme of vanity in mundane things, denouncing the artifices of the world (beauty, pleasure, luxury...), and praising virtue. This print represents a view of a city and a landscape in the background, with a male philosopher sitting on the left, commenting on it. In front of his eyes are a sumptuous palace with several characters, including a royal procession, its members dressed in lavish costumes. Wind, waves and flowers are also represented in the scene as metaphors for fugacity, luxury and power, suggesting an idea of banal vanity.

No image available

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.