Frontispiece of Leviathan, or, The matter, forme, & power of a common-wealth ecclesiasticall and civill
Bosse, Abraham, 1602-1676
The frontispiece of Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, or, The matter, forme, & power of a common-wealth ecclesiasticall and civill, the upper portion of which features a large figure representing sovreign authority. The figure's body is composed of individual citizens, is crowned, and holds a sword and crosier. The figure looms over a set of rolling hills in the background and a city in the foreground. At the top of the image is an inscription from Job 41:24, "Non est potestas Super Terram quae Comparetur ei." The image is representative of Thomas Hobbes' concept of an absolute monarch ruling with the consent/support of the people. The lower portion of the frontispiece features ten small vignettes in two sets of five. The first set represents political and/or military power, including: a castle, a crown, a cannon, a collection of weapons arranged as trophies of war, and a scene of two armies clashing. The second set represents religious power, including: a chuch, a mitre, the fulmina (crossed lightning bolts insignia of Rome), a set of horns accompanied by a trident and several bidents (labeled "Dilemma," "Syllogism," "Spiritual Temporal," "Direct Indirect," and "Real Intentional," respectively), and a gathering of clergy at a theological dispute.
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