Ephemeral Emblem Series in the Jesuit French Solemnities for the canonisation of 1622

The study of the wide production of emblems for the French solemnities of the canonisation of the Jesuits Ignatius of Loyola and Francis-Xavier, in 1622, has been neglected especially because no book has been published which reproduces the series of emblems displayed in the college courtyard, with a pedagogical purpose and aesthetic, to celebrate the missions of the Society in the world. Nevertheless, many of these emblematic ephemeral series are described in festival accounts; in France, we have identified thirty-five different festival accounts, until today. The aim of this paper is to record and examine through their description the iconographic and textual invention of emblems in this specific festival context: emblem structure, language, iconographic models, material composition, variety of topics (religious themes, nature…), organisation of the series, typology (posters, living emblems…). This study will explore the Jesuit creativity in emblematic production in relation to emblematic tradition and local emblem mentality.