English: Page 226 from Jacob Cats, Monita amoris virginei, sive officium puellarum in castis amoribus, emblemate expressum. Maedchen-Pflicht, ofte Ampt der ionckvrovwen, in eerbaer liefde aenghewesen door sinne-beelden. Published in Amsterdam by Willem Iansz Blaeu in 1620.

The publication history of Cats’ emblematic works is rather confusing. His Monita amoris virginei of 1620, from which this image was taken, is a modified edition of his work Silenus Alcibiadis, sive Proteus, vitae humanae idam, Emblemata trifariam variatio, oculis subjectis (Middelburg 1618) which contains exactly the same pictures. A later modification, called Proteus ofte Minne-beelden verandert in Sinne-beelden (Rotterdam 1627), repeats the same pictures but adds square frames to them. All these works should not be disturbed with Cats’ other (but similar) group of emblematic works, the Emblemata moralia et ae[!]conomica (Rotterdam 1627). For some bibliographic hints, see the standard publication by Arthur Henkel and Albrecht Schöne, Emblemata. Handbuch der Sinnbildkunst, Stuttgart (Germany) 1967 and reprinted, page xl/xli. But the edition of Amsterdam 1620 from which this picture has been taken is not mentioned by Henkel/Schöne.

The copper engraving of all emblems was (according to Henkel/Schöne’s information about the first edition, Middleburg 1618) probably made by Jan Gerritsz Swelinck (born aroung 1601) after drawings of Adriaen van de Venne (1589-1662). The motto of this emblem—the last one—reads Amor elegantiae pater, “Love is the father of elegance”. After this page, 3 more pages follow with various citations interpreting the emblem.