Mentor toont Idomeneus regelgeving voor de handel, de kunsten en de politie te Salento 1755

Jacques Philippe Le Bas created this engraving, now held in the Rijksmuseum, depicting Mentor presenting Idomeneus with regulations for commerce, the arts, and governance in Salento. Dominating the scene is the tablet containing the legal code—a symbol of civilization itself. Consider how often we see such tablets or books presented as the foundation of societal order. In ancient Mesopotamia, the Code of Hammurabi was similarly enshrined. Here, the image of the tablet connects to that deep-seated human need for structure and justice. This motif recurs across time, evolving from stone tablets to illuminated manuscripts, and printed books, each iteration reinforcing the idea of a divinely or rationally ordered society. The act of presentation itself, the passing of knowledge from one generation to the next, evokes the powerful psychological concept of cultural transmission, the ways in which societies preserve and pass on their most crucial values and beliefs. This visual echoes through history.