Gijsbert van Veen’s engraving, “Punishment Swiftly Follows Crime”, c1607/12

Gijsbert van Veen (aka Gysbrecht van Veen; Gijsbert Vaenius; Gisbert Venius) (1558–1628), possibly designed in collaboration with his brother, Otto van Veen’s (aka Otho Venius; Octavio van Veen; Otho Vaenius) (1556–1629)—the teacher of Rubens

“Punishment Swiftly Follows Crime” (aka “Punishment Follows Close on Guilt”; “Culpam Poena Premit Comes”—note that this is the New South Wales Police Force [Australia] motto), c1607/12, published in Antwerp by Prostant apud Philippum Lisaert in 1612, as an illustration to page 181 in Otto van Veen’s “Quinti Horatii Flacci Emblemata, Imaginibus in Æs Incisis, Notisque, Illustrata” (The emblems of Quintus Horatius Flaccus, illustrated with images engraved on them, and noted) with accompanying lines from Horace’s (aka Quintus Horatius Flaccus) (65–8 BCE) “Odes”, Book III.

The following accompanying text for this illustration may help to give the flavour of the writing (my apologies for errors in translation): “— Often Death/ Negligence, incest added to the whole:/ Rarely did the previous criminal/ He left the punishment with a lame foot./ God follows the proud vulture behind.” (“—Sæpe Diespiter/ Neglectus, incesto addidit integrum:/ Rarò antecedentem scelestum/ Deseruit pede pœna claudo./ Sequitur superbos vltor à tergo Deus.”) (p. 180).

Archive.org offers an online view of this print in its context in the publication: https://archive.org/details/quintihoratiifla00veen/page/180/mode/2up.

I have not been successful in finding an online source that clarifies what is shown in this fascinating engraving, consequently, I’ve decided to propose my own reading (which may be very wrong) regarding this allegory about the consequences of criminal action: the sword-bearing man holding an armful of severed heads is the criminal in the allegory and his backwards glance at the beheaded figures in the foreground helps to clarify his feelings of guilt. Adding further grit to the unease of his conscience, he is shown walking hurriedly past a sacrificial altar for atonement and being followed by the personification of his guilt in the form of a winged lame figure holding a fist full of snakes and carrying the fasces—a Roman ceremonial axe bundled with rods that is symbolic of penal justice and power. The distant view of fire consuming a walled city on the left and gallows on the right may signify destruction of safe harbour and pending judicial outcome.

Engraving on fine laid paper with Latin letterpress text verso, trimmed around the image borderline and backed with a support sheet providing wide margins.

Size: (sheet) 17.8 x 14.5 cm.

Condition: a well-printed impression, trimmed around the image borderline and laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper providing wide margins. The sheet is in a very good condition for its age, with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions or significant stains.

I am selling this marvellous allegorical print showing what I believe to be the consequences for criminal action, for the total cost of AU$237 (currently/approximately US$160.02/EUR146.87/GBP123.42 at the time of posting this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries. Note that payment is in Australian dollars (AU$237) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this visual affirmation that crime has consequences, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold