Les Sciences juridiques 

Luc-Olivier Merson created this watercolor design for “Les Sciences juridiques” in France during the late 19th or early 20th century. The image depicts a woman, a classical allegory of law, seated within an elaborate throne-like structure that incorporates symbols of justice and authority. Made during the Third Republic, a period of great debate about the role of law and the Republican project, Merson’s work is part of a wider trend to display idealized depictions of civic virtues in public buildings like courthouses, schools, and libraries. By visually linking the present with classical antiquity, this style sought to legitimize contemporary institutions as inheritors of a long tradition of reason and order. Historians of art and visual culture use sources such as political pamphlets, architectural plans, and exhibition reviews to understand how images like this one helped shape public perceptions of law and governance. The meaning of this image is therefore contingent on its original social and institutional context.