Abstract
The series Litis abusus by Hendrick Goltzius (later recast in different versions by Philips and Theodoor Galle) entails a strong moral criticism of civil litigation. Although the artist highlights conventional targets of attacks on litigation, in particular the duration and costs of civil proceedings, the litigant himself, rather than legal professionals, is the central character whose greed and acrimony are the driving forces behind his procedural obstinacy, which ultimately leads to the exhaustion of his patrimonial, physical, mental and spiritual resources. The representation of civil litigation as a monstrous predator also suggests that the system of civil procedure is per se flawed. The sequence of eight prints offers a mostly secular view of the artist’s moral censure of greed and querulous abuse of the system of justice. The addition of several Biblical quotes, at the bottom of each print, gives religious force to the general moral message of the series.
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Appendix: Synopsis of Biblical References
Appendix: Synopsis of Biblical References
Goltzius (1597) | Ph. Galle (ca. 1590) | Th. Galle (all-in-one) | |
---|---|---|---|
Plate 1 | 1 Cor. 10:24a | 1 Cor. 10:24 | 1 Cor. 10:24 |
Phil. 2:21b | Phil. 2:21 | Phil. 2:21 | |
Mt. 24:12c | Mt. 24:12 | Mt. 24:12 | |
Isaiah 59:8d | |||
Ecclesiasticus 1:28e | |||
Plate 2 | 1 Cor. 6:8f | ||
Marc 10:19 g | |||
Prov. 20:23 h | Prov. 20:23 | Prov. 20:23 | |
Prov. 20:14i | |||
Mt. 7:12j | Mt. 7:12 | Mt. 7:12 | |
Plate 3 | 1 Tim. 6:10 k | ||
Jac. 4:1 l | Jac. 4:1 | Jac. 4:1 | |
Prov. 15:18 m | |||
1 Tim. 6:9n | 1 Tim. 6:9 | 1 Tim. 6:9 | |
Plate 4 | Ecclesiasticus 8:2o | Ecclesiasticus 8:2 | Ecclesiasticus 8:2 |
Prov. 12:26p | |||
Ecclesiastes 10:15q | |||
Prov. 20:3r | Prov. 20:3 | Prov. 20:3 | |
Isaiah 58:4 s | |||
Plate 5 | Ecclesiasticus 8:1t | Ecclesiasticus 8:1 | Ecclesiasticus 8:1 |
Prov. 30:15w | |||
Isaiah 9:19-20x | |||
Gal. 5:15y | Gal. 5:15 | Gal. 5:15 | |
Plate 6 | Ecclesiastes 2:26z | ||
Prov. 4:16aa | |||
Ecclesiastes 8:16ab | Ecclesiastes 8:16 | Ecclesiastes 8:16 | |
Ecclesiastes 2:23ac | Ecclesiastes 2:23 | Ecclesiastes 2:23 | |
Plate 7 | Prov. 18:5ad | Prov. 18:5 | Prov. 18:5 |
Prov. 12:5ae | |||
Psalms 13:6af | |||
Prov. 10:26ag | |||
Prov. 25:18ah | Prov. 25:18 | Prov. 25:18 | |
Plate 8 | Prov. 11:7ai | Prov. 11:7 | Prov. 11:7 |
Isaiah 66:24aj | Isaiah 66:24 | Isaiah 66:24 | |
Prov. 11:24ak | |||
Mt. 5:25al | |||
Ecclesiasticus 13:30am |
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Wijffels, A. (2018). Lawyers and Litigants: The Corrupting Appeal and Effects of Civil Litigation in Hendrick Goltzius’ Litis abusus. In: Huygebaert, S., Martyn, G., Paumen, V., Bousmar, E., Rousseaux, X. (eds) The Art of Law. Ius Gentium: Comparative Perspectives on Law and Justice, vol 66. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90787-1_10
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