Copy of Print RP-P-1887-A-12391

This vast engraving presents a tiered landscape where humanity enters through a gate on the far right and traverses a world filled with personified virtues and vices. The central figure of Fortune stands precarious on a globe, while those who seek higher wisdom must climb a steep, narrow path leading to a circular temple of Salvation at the summit. Detailed Latin labels identify figures like Deceit, Lust, and Penance, mapping out a psychological and spiritual itinerary for the viewer to follow.

Based on a Greek text once attributed to Cebes of Thebes, this work is a foundational Neoplatonic and Stoic allegory of the soul's ascent and purification. It reflects the Renaissance interest in moral cartography, where the landscape serves as a mnemonic and meditative tool for the pursuit of 'True Learning' over material illusion.