The title page illustration from Johannes Trithemius'
1518 Polygraphiae libri sex "shows the author wearing his
Benedictine habit and, with his abbot's miter on the floor before him,
kneeling to present his book -- padlocked, as befits its secret character
-- to the dedicatee, the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. Seated upon his
throne in the imperial castle at Augsburg and wearing the imperial crown
and mantle, Maximilian holds his scepter in one hand and blesses Trithemius
with the other. Behind Trithemius, another person -- either another monk or
the publisher -- extends towards Maximilian two keys to the book, these
symbolizing Maximilian's spiritual authority and temporal power. In the
background Trithemius' chaplain, a young monk, holds his abbot's crozier.
At bottom, Trithemius reclines with a fruit-laden branch representing the
motto 'Ye shall judge the tree by its fruits' and implying that Trithemius'
many works make him worthy of acclaim" (@ Kahn
134-5). |
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