Truth and Justice.

2 woodcuts, c. 28,7 x 23,5 cm, laid paper with watermark (eagle?), Dutch text (cut at borders, some minor wormholes, some foxing, upper right corner Truth cut).

Stuck at corners under passe-partout. Good condition.

From "Hieroglifica", a series of 8 woodcuts with moralizing allegories. The 1st (5/8) depicts a woman, labelled "Waerheid" (Truth), sitting on the shoulders of a man and stabbing him in the neck with a dagger. It is the depiction of the Dutch proverb "Die waarheid zeyt magh niewers banken". The 2nd (7/8) shows the burial of the allegorical figure of "Rechtvaerdicheid" (Justice), surrounded by mourning beggars, women and children. It is the depiction of the Dutch proverb "Misdoen is angs". Originally, the prints were provided with title and accompanying verses which have been cut off in these impressions. A complete set is in Amsterdam (Rijksmuseum, inv. RP-P-BI-108 to 115A).
Ref. Nijhoff 1931-39, 183 and 185.
Prov. "d'Estampin 1785" (on verso).