Allegorical thesis print with various figures, set in an architectural structure 1608

Philippe Thomassin created this allegorical thesis print using engraving techniques. The composition is structured around an elaborate architectural framework, populated with allegorical figures both above and below. This creates a visual hierarchy, distinguishing realms of knowledge and virtue from those of ignorance or vice. The figures are rendered with a classical attention to form, yet the overall effect is densely symbolic. Thomassin uses line and form to construct not just a picture, but a complex system of signs. The architectural elements—columns, cornices, and a central niche—serve as organizing principles for the various allegorical figures. Consider the contrast in textures, from the smooth surfaces of the idealized bodies to the intricate details of the architectural setting. This contrast emphasizes the artificiality of the scene, underscoring that we are meant to interpret rather than simply observe. The print invites us to decode its layers of meaning, recognizing that its true subject is the structure of knowledge itself.