Conciosacra

A monumental female figure sits atop a defeated, prone man, blowing a trumpet that emits a banner labeled 'Veritas'. She holds a bundle of laurel and olive branches representing divine reward and punishment, while her feet rest upon the 'False Prophet' who is surrounded by symbols of worldly vanity and deception like masks, coins, and bells. The composition is characterized by the dramatic muscularity and complex poses typical of late sixteenth-century Mannerism.

This work reflects the Neoplatonic and Counter-Reformation emphasis on the 'Verbum' (Word) as a divine illuminating force that dispels the shadows of heresy and false vision. It illustrates the intellectual struggle for absolute Truth against the 'dreams' and deceptions of the material world, a central theme in the natural philosophy and theology of the Rudolfine court.