Logica

A seated woman, representing the art of Logic, counts arguments on her fingers while an open book rests on her lap. To her left, a bearded man in a fur-lined robe and hat gestures towards her, participating in a scholarly debate. Behind them, bookshelves filled with bound volumes indicate a setting of formal study and natural philosophy.

As part of the Seven Liberal Arts, Logic (or Dialectics) was considered the essential foundation for all higher learning, including alchemy and natural philosophy. This print, engraved by the future alchemist and inventor Cornelis Drebbel, reflects the late 16th-century emphasis on rigorous rational inquiry as a prerequisite for understanding the hidden laws of nature.