The image below is from Jacob Cats’s emblem book Sinne- en Minne-beelden (1627), where the destructive aspect of Minne (romantic love) is explored through moralized allegories.

The crocodile embodies unbridled, consuming passion, a dangerous and insatiable force that, left unchecked, leads to ruin and death. The emblem “Nescit habere modum” (“It knows no moderation”) draws on the natural-history belief that the crocodile grows continually throughout its life, using it as a symbol for romantic love’s tendency to increase without restraint.

The author contrasts this destructive urge with the ideal of conjugal love, which, though also enduring, is tempered by virtue and fidelity. Thus, the emblem sets “Minne” before the reader as uncontrolled desire that consumes itself like the ever-growing crocodile, as contrasted with conjugal affection which alone can channel love’s power into lasting harmony.