"Epicurus at Leontium" - Ludwig Gottlieb Portman, c. 1802-1803


    A Dutch illustrator. The caption reads:

    ; maar ontdek er de Spooren van het geluk niet - Epicurus


    ; but do not discover the Traces of Happiness. - Epicurus


    I have a Dutch friend, perhaps he is willing to provide a better translation.

    “If the joys found in nature are crimes, then man’s pleasure and happiness is to be criminal.”

    Presuming that is not part of a book or larger context, the inscription almost looks as if it was intended to be a quotation, but the translation doesn't really make much sense. Maybe" traces" is "limits" (?) but the "do not discover" doesn't seem appropriate.

    I did some digging on this piece today since I figured I'd upload it to the gallery. It's from a Dutch Almanac from 1803. "Almanak, van vernuft en smaak, voor het jaar MDCCCIII" (Almanac, of ingenuity and taste 1803 Volume 1). While reading through it, I discovered an 8.5 page long section titled "Epicurus bij Leontion" which is just the same as the illustration. Since I cannot read Dutch I don't know what the text says, however it appears to be a casual reading of the subject of the philosophy. Once I get a translation down from my Dutch friends I'll post it here.

    “If the joys found in nature are crimes, then man’s pleasure and happiness is to be criminal.”

Unread Threads

    1. Title
    2. Replies
    3. Last Reply

    2. The Rhetoric of Explanation in Lucretius' De Rerum Natura 5

      • Kalosyni
      • November 21, 2024 at 4:13 PM
    3. Replies
      5
      Views
      425
      5

    4. Pacatus

      November 21, 2024 at 4:13 PM

    2. Evidence of Survivors of Pompeii and Herculaneum 1

      • kochiekoch
      • November 20, 2024 at 8:17 PM
    3. Replies
      1
      Views
      224
      1

    4. Don

      November 20, 2024 at 8:17 PM

    2. “Better to lose the money because of me than to lose me because of the money.” 3

      • TauPhi
      • November 19, 2024 at 9:30 PM
    3. Replies
      3
      Views
      331
      3

    4. Don

      November 19, 2024 at 9:30 PM

    2. An Anti-Epicurean Article - "The Meaning of Life Is Not Happiness" (For Future Reference) 12

      • Cassius
      • November 19, 2024 at 12:17 PM
    3. Replies
      12
      Views
      1k
      12

    4. Pacatus

      November 19, 2024 at 12:17 PM

    2. Was De Rerum Natura intended as satire? A lecture by THM Gellar-Goad. 14

      • Julia
      • November 11, 2024 at 4:09 PM
    3. Replies
      14
      Views
      1.2k
      14

    4. Julia

      November 11, 2024 at 4:09 PM