Design for a Thesis Print with an Allegory of Knowledge and Portrait of Cardinal Antonio Barberini the Younger (1607–1671) 1635

This is Pietro da Cortona’s "Design for a Thesis Print," a drawing made in the 17th century. We are met with allegorical figures in an architectural setting. Knowledge is personified by a figure holding a globe, representing the pursuit of worldly understanding and scientific discovery that captivated the Renaissance. This pursuit, however, is much older. The globe motif echoes the ancient Greek tradition, where the sphere represented perfection and cosmic harmony. But look at the figure of the Earth, in a posture of presentation! We find that the symbolic gesture goes beyond the acquisition of knowledge. Instead, it alludes to a desire for control, deeply intertwined with mankind’s primal quest to dominate our environment. The globe evolves from a symbol of scientific enlightenment to one charged with deeper psychological undercurrents. This design reminds us that symbols never truly die, they transform, and the power of their imagery is never lost.