False Belief Estranges the World from Truth

A man wearing a fool's cap and brandishing a sword stands inside a ritual circle inscribed with planetary symbols, symbolizing a world blinded by earthly illusions. On the left, False Opinion holds a book and ignores the scene, while on the right, the nude figure of Truth points upward to the divine, as Justice is seen fleeing in the background. The scene is filled with objects of ritual and study, including a candle, a mortar, and various vessels scattered around the magic circle.

This allegory illustrates the Renaissance philosophical struggle between 'Doxa' (opinion) and 'Aletheia' (truth), utilizing the motif of 'fascinatio' (bewitchment) found in the era's natural magic and moral philosophy. It specifically draws on Neoplatonic ideas regarding the soul's entrapment in material deception, as reinforced by the biblical citations regarding the 'bewitching of vanity'.