Festina lente : a hieroglyphic reading of the world

The famous dolphin anchor motif has been around since Roman imperial times, as evidenced by the coinage of Titus. Taken up by Renaissance artists and humanists, its meaning developed and changed. In addition to the anchor and dolphin, which are the most popular expressions of the motto, the anchor and remure are also used, as are the crab and butterfly, which illustrate Augustus' original motto on a series of coinage issues. The composition embodies another facet of reborn hieroglyphs: iconograms, i.e. complex compositions that are meant to be read symbolically and can be glossed linguistically, without however following the writing rules specific to neo-hieroglyphs. This mode of expression enjoyed great success during the Renaissance, fostering the emergence of new genres such as emblems and imprese. Without realizing it, Renaissance iconograms were reviving a practice that had been widely attested in ancient Egypt.