Moral Emblems: Pleading for Mercy

Engraving, part of a set of 20 moral emblems, each designated by a letter of the alphabet. The set was designed by Jean Delaune and engraved by his father, Étienne Delaune, in 1580. It explores the theme of vanity in mundane things, denouncing the artifices of the world (beauty, pleasure, luxury...), and praising virtue. This print represents a male philosopher, dressed in classical clothing, on the left, looking at a vast landscape, which develops around the stream of a river. In the background, on the left, a village is on fire; in the center, a boat sinks, its occupants falling into the water. The disastrous events taking place seem to have prompted the philosopher to plead God for mercy, looking towards the sun, illustrated on the upper right, appearing behind a hill and personifying God. In an allegorical sense, the philosopher might be asking God for the wisdom and strength necessary to make him achieve happiness.