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Original fileDangers of the Legal Process
Gevaren van het proces Misbruik in procesvoering (serietitel) Litis Abusus (serietitel)
after Hendrick Goltzius
About This Work
The central figure, a woman personifying a 'Good Cause,' walks through a plaza toward a statue of Victory while men on both sides aim spears at her. On the left, labels identify the figures as just judges and honest witnesses, while on the right, they are identified as corrupt and unskilled legal actors. The composition uses the spears to create a visual barrier that the personification must navigate to reach her goal.
Part of the 'Litis Abusus' (Abuse of Lawsuits) series, this work reflects the moral philosophy of the Haarlem circle and the influence of humanist Dirck Volckertszoon Coornhert. It illustrates the late Renaissance concern with civic justice and the Neostoic idea of virtue maintaining its path despite the conflicting pressures of a corrupt world.