Toneel met de personificatie van Mildheid (Clementia), 1578 1578 - 1579

In 1578, Antoni van Leest created "Toneel met de personificatie van Mildheid" using engraving techniques to produce this print. The image captures a theatrical scene, framed within an ornate structure that evokes a sense of staged drama. Notice how the composition uses a symmetrical arrangement with draped curtains and decorative columns, drawing our eye to the central figure, the personification of Clementia. The artist employs line and form to define the figure and the architectural elements. The etching technique renders fine details and textures, from the folds of the clothing to the carved details of the stage. The structure, resembling a proscenium, suggests a moment of spectacle, framing Clementia within a defined space that separates the ideal from the everyday. The blank red circle above the stage introduces an element of semiotic intrigue, perhaps alluding to the concept of the 'empty signifier.' This could represent how abstract virtues such as mildness are given concrete form and meaning through representation.