Occasio arrepta, neglecta, hvivs commoda, illivs incommoda
An emblem book of 1605 printed at Antwerp by the Plantin press, made by the Jesuit poet Jan David with engravings after designs by Theodor Galle, aimed at moral instruction for educated readers. Its plates are dense engraved allegories, each with a Latin verse caption set below, showing Occasion as a figure with a forelock that must be seized as she passes, the figure of Opportunity being grasped or lost by allegorical men and women. A designer might borrow the crowded multi-figure compositions, the winged figures in the sky, and the strong contrast of fine hatched engraving against plain caption panels.
