Wijsheid samen met Justitia en een koning op een triomfwagen 1542 - 1549

Here we see Servatius Raeven’s intricate engraving, "Wisdom together with Justice and a King on a Triumphal Chariot". The composition is dominated by a chariot, meticulously detailed with figures and symbols, drawn by horses and set against a landscape filled with architectural structures and crowds. The complex arrangement presents a visual hierarchy which invites us to decode its symbolic language. The structural clarity with which Raeven arranges the chariot and its figures allows a semiotic reading of power, law, and knowledge. Justice, with her scales and sword, embodies the balance and execution of law. The king, positioned alongside Wisdom, indicates a divinely sanctioned authority. This construct suggests an ideal state where governance is rooted in justice and tempered by wisdom. The image is not merely descriptive, but prescriptive, advocating for a world ordered by reason and law. This engraving challenges us to consider how power is visualized, legitimized, and communicated through art.