Emblematum ethico-politicorum centuria Iulii Guilielmi Zincgrefii
Zincgref's 1624 Frankfurt emblem book, a moral and political collection of Latin and French verse with engravings by Matthaeus Merian, aimed at readers seeking guidance on conduct. The pictures are small circular copperplate vignettes, each a single emblematic object such as a tree, olive branch, or fallen stone set against a distant town, with a Latin motto above and French verses below. A designer could take from them the compact roundel format, framed by a double ring, and the habit of pairing a motto with one symbolic image.
