"The figure of that wise man ̸ Who to be silent shows with the finger on the lip". The hapocratic gesture on an emblem of Alciato

Abstract

In this essay we will go over through a series of textual and visual representations of the harpocratic gesture, which consists in putting the finger on the lips to invite to silence. The main focus is on the emblem "Silentium" of Alciato and the different ways of conceiving the emblems in the Baroque period.