Musées de Langres – Maison des Lumières Denis Diderot – Musée d'Art et d'Histoire

The frontispiece, located opposite the title page, seeks to provide the reader with a snapshot of the work. At the centre of the picture is the veiled figure of Truth. Reason tries to lift her veil, while Philosophy attempts to tear it away. In contrast, Theology kneels at the foot of Truth, and Imagination seeks to embellish her with a garland of flowers. The other allegorical figures evoke the disciplines covered in the Encyclopaedia, including History, Geometry, Astronomy, Physics, Optics, Botany, Chemistry and Agriculture, but also Poetry, Music, Painting and Architecture.