Renaissance Bronze Plaquette : Truth, Daughter of Time

Bronze Plaquette : Truth, Daughter of Time
Germany or Netherlands, dated 1570
Monogrammist HG

Original cast
Diameter: 8.7 cm

Time is personified as a winged old man holding an hourglass, lifting Truth from the ground in the form of a naked woman. Truth is held back by Calumny, depicted as a female figure with webbed feet - associated with instability and the difficulty of moving on solid ground, symbolizing a fragile foundation, like lies. Calumny also has a serpent’s tail, a traditional symbol of cunning and deceit, and holds a snake, representing venomous speech.
In the background field, a bird flying with a branch in its beak might symbolize peace regained after the revelation of truth. A lush landscape with architecture further enhances the depth of the scene.

Around the composition, a raised Latin inscription reads:
ABSTRUSAM TENEBRIS TEMPUS ME EDUCIT IN AURAS
(Time brings me out of darkness into the light.)

The additional inscription VERITAS FILIA TEMPORIS (Truth, Daughter of Time) reinforces the allegorical meaning of the work. This classical Latin expression conveys the idea that truth is always revealed in time. Often attributed to the Roman historian Aulus Gellius, it reflects an ancient belief in time's power to uncover facts and dispel falsehoods.

This plaque reflects the humanist spirit of the Renaissance, where the pursuit of truth and knowledge was central, and faith in intellectual and moral progress relied on time's gradual revelation of truth. This iconography was common in 16th-century Mannerist art, especially within the humanist tradition, where virtues and vices were often personified to illustrate moral lessons.

The HG monogram has been attributed to Heinrich Goltzius or Hans Jacob Gessner, though its precise identification remains debated.