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Title Page of Les Fondemens de la Politique (1649)

Unknown author · 1649

The engraved title page of a 1649 French edition of Hobbes's De Cive, showing an allegorical frontispiece.

The title page of an early French edition of Hobbes's De Cive, which he wrote during his lifetime.

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Engraved title page reading 'Les Fondemens de la Politique', 'A Amsterdam, Chez Iean Blaeu, MDCXLIX'. A seated robed figure with a cross and a flame sits atop a pedestal, flanked by a woman holding a staff with a cap on top at left and a crowned woman with a sceptre at right. A small armillary sphere sits on the pedestal.
Title page of Les Fondemens de la Politique, French edition of Hobbes's De Cive, 1649. Amsterdam: Jean Blaeu.

About this source

What it is

This is the title page of a 1649 French translation of Thomas Hobbes's De Cive (Elements of Philosophy of the Citizen), published in Amsterdam. The engraving shows a seated robed figure holding a cross, flanked by two allegorical women, one holding a staff topped with a cap and the other a crowned sceptre-bearer, with a small armillary sphere on the pedestal below.

Why it matters

De Cive was one of Hobbes's key works on political authority and the relationship between church and state. The allegorical imagery on this title page reflects the themes of religion, authority, and liberty that run through the book, and shows how publishers used symbolic art to advertise philosophical ideas.

Look closer

  • What do the symbols in the engraving suggest about the book's subject?
  • Why might a publisher choose religious imagery for a book about politics?
  • What does this title page tell us about who the book was made for?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Thomas Hobbes on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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