Titelpagina voor F. Aguilon, Opticorum libri sex, 1613 1613

This is Theodoor Galle’s 1613 engraving for the title page of Franciscus Aguilonius’s book on optics. Galle made it in Antwerp, then a major center for the printing and dissemination of knowledge under the influence of the Plantin-Moretus publishing house. This image uses allegory to present the study of optics as both a science and a philosophy. Note the figure of divine wisdom at the top, flanked by symbols of scientific inquiry and philosophical thought. It brings together classical imagery and emblems of Jesuit scholarship. The Jesuit order to which Aguilonius belonged, emphasized education and intellectual pursuits, which shaped the book’s content and Galle’s design. Looking at this title page, we can ask how knowledge was constructed, visualized, and disseminated in the early 17th century. By studying publishing history, Jesuit educational practices, and the visual language of allegory, we can better understand the social life of early modern science.