Triomf van Waarheid en steniging van Stefanus 1657

Harmen de Mayer created this artwork, "The Triumph of Truth and the Stoning of Stephen," as an engraving in 1657. The piece divides into three distinct horizontal registers, creating a hierarchical structure. The upper register depicts Truth in a triumphant chariot, followed by armed figures, suggesting a procession. The middle section is dominated by text framed by angelic figures, which serves as a symbolic and literal bridge connecting the upper and lower realms. This textual and symbolic center binds the image together, while also creating a tension between the divine promise above and the earthly violence below. The lowest register depicts the stoning of Stephen. The composition here is chaotic and brutal, with figures in dynamic poses, contrasting sharply with the ordered procession above. The artwork uses a semiotic system of signs, from the haloed figure of Truth to the violent acts of the stoners, to communicate complex theological and moral concepts. This contrast invites the viewer to question and interpret the relationship between truth, martyrdom, and earthly justice.