Salamanders before 1650

Antonio Tempesta created this print of Salamanders using etching in the late 16th or early 17th century. The image comes from a time when printed bestiaries were gaining popularity across Europe. These books were very influential in codifying the public's understanding of the natural world. A bestiary was like an encyclopedia, but it also incorporated symbolic meanings for each creature, usually of a moralizing Christian variety. Salamanders were, since the time of Pliny the Elder, associated with fire, and in this image Tempesta has created a landscape to emphasize the animal's natural habitat. Etchings like this were not only found in books, but as individual prints they were collected and studied. The historian can use sources like period bestiaries to understand the cultural significance of this image. By seeing it in its historical context, we can better understand the culture from which it emerged.