Allegorie met Geschiedenis, Geleerdheid en Waarheid 1643

This allegorical engraving by Theodor van Merlen, created in 1643, titled *Allegorie met Geschiedenis, Geleerdheid en Waarheid*, depicts the pursuit of knowledge and truth. It features a central female figure representing History, seated upon a throne adorned with books and surrounded by cherubs symbolizing the divine inspiration behind scholarly endeavors. The figures on either side, likely embodying Learning and Truth, hold scrolls and gaze upward. The inscription beneath the throne praises the work of Johannes Bollandus and his Society of Jesus, which compiled the *Acta Sanctorum*, a monumental collection of saints' lives. This artwork reflects the 17th-century European fascination with scholarship and the importance of historical documentation.