Allegory of the Edict of Toleration (1781): first version

The complex allegorical representation honors the Edict of Tolerance (1781) of Emperor Joseph II, which granted a high degree of religious freedom to Protestant inhabitants of the Habsburg Empire. It also refers to the edict of 1782 that granted some religious freedom to Jews. In the center is the personification of the Truth of Faith, with her hand on the Book of Life, flanked by Law with the burning flame of Reason and representatives of Protestant denominations (left). At her feet sits the winged personification of Tolerance, playing a lyre. Above her, the personification of Time, with the help of a putto hanging from a cord, pulls up a curtain and reveals the half-naked personification of Enlightenment. She is accompanied and illuminated by a genius – in this trial print, both figures are indicated only in outline. On the left, a sleeping half-naked woman is depicted, representing classical antiquity. The dancing fauns behind her appear in her dream.