#oculata manus

[duardius]

gill hand shirt

eric gill’s device c.1906, Eye and Hand—the original was a wood engraving. gill’s take on ‹hamsa› or perhaps ‹oculata manus›. for more info vide ‹eric gill on typography›.

[cuties-in-codices]

"trust and distrust"

in a german ancestry book ('stammbuch des albrecht christoph gugel'), ca. 1686-1688

source: Nürnberg, GNM, Hs 84104 b, fol. 74v

the emblematic image serves as a reminder that a ruler shoudn't be too trustful. the hand stands for "fides" (trust), the eyes on the hand stand for cautiousness.

excerpt from a printed emblem book (ca. 1700) describing the same motif (sometimes referred to as manus oculata):

[duardius]

oculata manus

the image (wood engraving) is from Emblematum libellus by andrea alciati [aldine edition, venice, 1546].

set in monotype rotis semi sans 55 regular—vide ‹weighty words›.