The text of this manuscript written in Latin and Greek organizes a series of dialogues between Oedipus and the Sphinx, including French translations added at a later date. The dialogues are accompanied by watercolor illustrations in the form of emblems that combine both Christian and classical imagery.

Emblem books were popular between the sixteenth and seventeenth century, defined by its surreal subjects that challenged their viewer to contemplate moral issues. Through the classic tale Oedipus and its riddles from the Sphinx, this topic worked well as an Emblem book, providing interpretations to these otherwise strange riddles.

—Virginia Edwards

Catalogue Record, Free Library of Philadelphia

Catalogue Record, OPenn