Harmony of theology, law and cosmology exemplified in the use of scale motif through the art of pre-modern times

Abstract

The aim of this article is to arrange iconographic types and contexts in which scales occurred before the 15th century in European art. It attempts to shed the light on scales as a symbol present in global culture from Antiquity to the late Middle Ages. The motive was present in art from the earliest times. The article is devoted to the symbolic relationship between scales and different aspects of justice with some references to other virtues, phenomena, professions and social practices associated in paintings with balance. Most of the presented pieces of art are paintings, with a few exceptions for particularly interesting cases of prints and architectural details. Author attempts to answer crucial questions. What were the meanings attributed to scales? How have these meanings evolved and whether the interpretation of the symbol was influenced by the ethos characteristic for particular periods and geographical spaces, as well as transient fashions, religious and political changes? Particularly worth examining are semantic shifts in perception of the symbol.