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Wikimedia Commons · CC0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileMisbruik van het handelsrecht Misbruik in procesvoering (serietitel) Litis Abusus (serietitel)
after Hendrick Goltzius
A merchant is accosted by the personified figures of Fraud (Fraus) and Deception (Fallacia) in a busy harbor setting. In the foreground, a blindfolded scribe records transactions on bales of wool, symbolizing the negligence and folly that fuel legal disputes. The background illustrates a vibrant 16th-century port with laborers, ships, and dockside activity, contrasting the industriousness of trade with the moral corruption of its participants.
Fraus Mercator Fallacia Scriba imperitus Inuida Fraus, turpis Fallacia, Scriptor aberrans, 2 Impellunt tetricas Mercatori undiq[ue] lites. Door t'scalke bedroch, door valscheit argelistich, Ooc door scryuers sot wert de Coopman meest twistich. Abominatio est apud Dñm pondus et pondus, statera dolosa non est bona. Pro. 20. Omnia ergo quaecunq[ue] vultis ut faciant vobis homines: et vos facite illis. Matt. 7. Adr. Collaert sculp. Phils Galle excud.
Translation
Fraud Merchant Deceit Unskilled Scribe Envious Fraud, base Deceit, the erring Scribe, Drive the Merchant to bitter strife on every side. Through knavish fraud, through deceitful guile, And through the foolish scribe, the Merchant is made most contentious. An abomination is before the Lord a weight and a weight, a deceitful balance is not good. Prov. 20. All things therefore whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you also to them. Matt. 7. Adr. Collaert sculpted. Phils Galle published.
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Engraving
allegory
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · CC0
http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.115312
Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication
5818 × 4320 px
328e21380ef51109c12d5ca8cdfad58bf5eb5041
November 19, 2019
March 23, 2026
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 1, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.