Symbolorum: The Secret Wisdom of Emblems with perfumer Mandy Aftel ONLINE

Symbolorum: The Secret Wisdom of Emblems, with perfumer and author Mandy Aftel

ONLINE EVENT

Discover the esoteric insights and enchanting imagery of the Baroque emblem book, a long-lost cousin of the tarot!

Join us as we welcome perfumer, writer, and museum founder Mandy Aftel for a discussion about her new book, Symbolorum: The Secret Wisdom of Emblems (Abbeville Press, 2025). Emblem books were an incredibly popular literary form in the 17th century, and then totally disappeared! In this talk, Mandy will introduce the lost literary and visual world of emblems to a modern audience. Following Mandy's presentation, artist and educator Eliza Swann will moderate a discussion and Q&A.

As a perfumer and perfume historian, Mandy Aftel was inspired thirty years ago to start making natural perfumes by researching antique books filled with witchy recipes and rich historical lore. The natural essences she used were part of an unseen world of magic and mystery. Aftel writes about this centuries-old world of natural aromatic essences, and the ancient wondrous view of nature that they embody. Her first of four books on this realm, Essence and Alchemy (2001), connected the process of perfume-making with the process of transformation in alchemy -- it has now been translated into 17 languages and become like a bible to many readers interested in perfume.

Wherever she encountered this older view of nature and the way it infused experience and understanding with magic, she was enthralled most especially when she came upon Joachim Camerarius’ Symbolorum et Emblematum. Aftel has selected one hundred of the bewitching circular engravings of the Symbolorum, in which giant hands reach from the sky; lions, bears, and unicorns gambol; and distant spires beckon. The startling pictures, together with their mottos and Camerarius’s commentaries on the classically inspired stories they depicted, were a tantalizing and profound combination. Aftel added commentary to the lessons in the book, which offer wisdom about how to live your life. Like a long lost cousin of the tarot!

Mandy Aftel is a preeminent natural perfumer, educator, curator, and author on natural fragrance and flavor. She is the founder of Aftelier Perfumes (www.aftelier.com)—her artisanal line of natural fragrances. She created the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents (www.aftelarchive.com)—a cabinet of curiosities about natural essences. Her ten books include Essence and Alchemy: A Natural History of Perfume, which helped spark the natural perfume renaissance and has been translated into sixteen languages, and The Museum of Scent, an illustrated exploration of the Aftel Archive.

Eliza Swann, aka Emerald, is an interdisciplinary artist, writer, and educator based in New York. They are the author of The Anatomy of the Aura (St. Martin’s, 2020), Green Mary (Cosmic Dog House Press, 2024), and The Alchemical Imagination (Weiser/Red Wheel, 2026.) Their writing has appeared in many places, including BOMB, Arthur, Contemporary Art Review LA, and Momus. Eliza received a BA in Painting from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA from Central St. Martins in London. Eliza is also the founder of Golden Dome and now Emerald School of Alchemical Arts, mystery schools that explore the mystical dimensions of art. Emerald School produces exhibitions, performances, classes, and publications throughout the year.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Symbolorum: The Secret Wisdom of Emblems

The emblem book, which reached the peak of its popularity in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, presented mysterious allegorical images—rather like those we now find on tarot cards— alongside Latin mottoes. A learned text explained the connection between image and motto, and the lessons each emblem held for the reader’s life. Drawing on sources such as medieval bestiaries and Aesop’s fables, emblem books reflected an enchanted view of nature in which our human lives were intertwined with plants, animals, the moon and the stars.

World-renowned natural perfumer Mandy Aftel first encountered emblem books in the course of her researches into antique botanical illustrations, and quickly became entranced. Here she selects one hundred emblems from perhaps the finest emblem book, the Symbolorum et Emblematum of Camerarius, originally published in four parts between 1590 and 1604. Aftel has sensitively tinted in watercolor the bewitching circular engravings of the Symbolorum, in which giant hands reach from the sky; lions, bears, and unicorns gambol; and distant spires beckon. The mottoes and explanatory texts are given in translation from the original Latin, along with Aftel’s own commentary. An illustrated introduction illuminates the history and magic of the emblem book.

Ticket price: $10 (online event only)

This presentation will be recorded and shared with online attendees for up to 2 weeks following the event. The recording will be emailed to you a few days after the scheduled event.

Please email events@prs.org or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions

CONTENT DISCLAIMER

The views, opinions, and thoughts expressed by the presenters are solely those of the presenter and may not represent those of the Philosophical Research Society (PRS), its affiliates, or any individuals associated with PRS. Presentations are intended for informational and entertainment purposes.

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