The Earl of Shaftesbury (1671-1713) was tutored by John Locke and wrote one of the most influential books of the 18th century, The Characteristicks of Men, Manners, and Opinion (1737). He included a number of illustrations designed by himself in order to complement the text. He is one of the few artists to "footnote" his detailed illustrations so the reader could read more about the story he was telling. Here is one from volume 2. The top panel shows the free, productive, and harmonious cooperation of large groups of creatures (the bee hive on the left; a herd of deer, a flock of birds, a human settlement, and commercial shipping in the middle; and an anthill on the right). The bottom panel shows similar harmonious cooperation and useful activity but this time on an individual or familial level (a single spider in its web (with a fly caught in the web) and a mother and father bird feeding their chicks in the nest). In the bottom center is a globe of the world surrounded by a circular chain, suggesting that the entire world is a system which is interlinked and interconnected by similar examples of cooperation and harmony. The middle panel shows Liberty holding a Phrygian cap above the head of Cybele, the goddess of mother earth, sitting in her chariot being pulled by lions. To the left behind Cybele are three Passions or Vices (Flattery, Hypocrisy, and Intemperance); to the right are three Virtues (Fortitude, Justice, Abundance towards which Cybele is facing).
Posted on: Sun, 21 Jul 2013 20:52:41 +0000
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