Les Singuliers et Nouveaux Portraicts... page 46 (recto) 1588

Federico de Vinciolo’s 'Les Singuliers et Nouveaux Portraicts,' is a page brimming with symbolic life. Here, the Roman god Mars strides forth, his helmet a nod to antiquity. But it is not just a Roman god we see; it’s an echo of Ares, the Greek counterpart, whose chaotic essence was softened by Roman practicality. Note the accompanying hounds and birds, archetypal hunting companions, symbolizing both nobility and the untamed wilderness that must be conquered. Mars carries a shield; a symbol that stretches back to ancient Greece, where heroes like Achilles bore shields emblazoned with stories of their valor. Consider how this symbol has morphed through time. From the battlefields of Troy to the heraldic crests of medieval knights, the shield’s protective, patriarchal power echoes through history. It embodies a collective desire for security and control, an impulse deeply rooted in our psyche. Here, the image speaks not just of war but of the eternal struggle to defend and assert one’s place in the world. Vinciolo thus taps into a powerful, shared human narrative.