Geffrey Whitney, A choice of emblemes (Leiden, 1586)

Emblem 80

Tantalus is standing in a stream, unable to reach the apples above him or the water below

Facsimile

Notes and related emblems

• Related emblem in another book: embmne_mig1591_emblem084

Iconclass

• 21C fire (one of the four elements)
• 25G13 groups of plants (herbs)
• 25G3(APPLE-TREE)(+34) trees: apple-tree (+ bearing fruit)
• 25H1123 rock-formations
• 25H213 river
• 31A221 head (human)
• 31A243 head bent backwards
• 31A2511(+926) arm raised upward (+ despairing)
• 31A2774(+0) floating (movement in water) (+ variant)
• 31A534 beard
• 31AA2511(+926) arm raised upward - AA - both arms or hands (+ despairing)
• 31B6211 looking upwards
• 31B6233 mouth wide open
• 31D14 adult man
• 31D14(+79) adult man (+ more than eight persons)
• 31EE23111 drowning, 'walking the plank' (violent death ~ water) - EE - death not certain; wounded person
• 41B121 flame
• 44B191 crown (symbol of sovereignty)
• 55CC11(+4) Greed, Covetousness, Cupidity; 'Cupidità' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept)
• 86(AVARITIA) proverbs, sayings, etc. (AVARITIA)
• 93E81 Tantalus, suffering eternal hunger and thirst

Sources

Record ID: embstma_1667_emblem080
This emblem on the Iconclass site: https://iconclass.org/view/embstma_1667_emblem080
Copy: University Library, Glasgow, Stirling Maxwell 1667