- This event has passed.
Symbolorum: The Secret Wisdom of Emblems, with Mandy Aftel (online)
–
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! Mandy is eager to introduce the lost literary and visual world of emblems to a modern audience.
There is a hunger in the modern world for a more enchanted, less rational view of nature, evident from our interest in spiritualism, astrology, tarot, alternative healing, and the enduring popularity of Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter and Outlander series. Aftel has seen it in the museum of scent she created in her backyard (www.aftelarchive.com) a decade ago, which includes her antique book collection and other treasures that leave visitors transfixed and transformed.
As a perfumer and perfume historian, 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!
Related Events
When you sign up for a class or event at the IAO, you will receive an Eventbrite confirmation email which contains important information, such as materials lists or preparation instructions. Please be sure to scroll down in the email, so you see those instructions.
For online classes, you will receive the Zoom log-in information approximately 12 – 24 hours before each session begins. To avoid this going to spam, add hello@artandolfaction.com to your address book. Our online classes are recorded, and the video is available to registered attendees for 7 days after the class takes place. Because the class is recorded and can be viewed later, we do not provide refunds or transfers for online classes.
Sign up for our monthly newsletter: Click here