Emblems are concise and complex combinations of texts and images that invite viewers to contemplate the meaning of the individual pieces as a whole. When analyzed, they show the way people from approximately 1500 to 1800 thought and the ideas that helped shape and lead their lives. Typically, an emblem is made up of a motto, an image called the pictura, and a subtext called a subscriptio and compromise one to two pages. Some emblems provide additional commentary on the emblem, thereby creating emblems with many pages.