Medaillon met de personificatie van de Waarheid 1768

Editor: So, here we have Jean Charles Delafosse’s “Medaillon met de personificatie van de Waarheid” from 1768, an engraving at the Rijksmuseum. It has a very formal, almost academic feel, like something from an old textbook. The central figure feels so triumphant, surrounded by all these…symbols. What do you see in this piece? Curator: This medallion is thick with allegorical meaning. Consider the central figure you mention: she’s Truth, emerging into the light, holding a torch aloft – a classical symbol of enlightenment and knowledge. But it is more than just simple representation; Delafosse evokes powerful cultural memories and desires tied to Truth itself. The objects around the medallion, what do you make of them? Editor: Well, there’s a scale, a sword, a mask, even a snake... They all seem carefully placed, almost deliberately posed around the central image. Curator: Precisely. The scales and sword represent justice, often accompanying Truth as her protectors. The mask, entwined by a serpent, suggests deception being unveiled. Baroque art loved layering meaning; these aren't mere decorations. The cultural memory associated with snakes are numerous -- life, death, deceit, protection, etc. How do these familiar associations and meanings combine in this image? Editor: So, it's a whole symbolic system designed to communicate ideas about truth, justice, and deception. I hadn’t thought of it as a "system" before, more like individual symbols… Does the formal, academic style reinforce that feeling of established knowledge? Curator: Absolutely. The very composition – symmetrical, ordered, meticulously detailed – lends an air of authority and permanence. These symbols, chosen from a well-established visual vocabulary, connect with a collective understanding that spans generations. Even today, don't those symbols feel embedded in how we represent truth and falsehood? Editor: I think so! I definitely have a much better understanding of what I am seeing now. Curator: Indeed. And hopefully, also the rich tapestry of meaning woven into this small engraving and so many others like it.