Time Discovering Truth, sketch

In 1765 Maella received an important commission for ceiling decorations for the rooms of the Princess of Asturias in the Palacio Real in Madrid. Giving allegorical form to the famous dictum “Time discovers Truth,” in this study Maella portrays Time as a white-bearded old man. While his wings stand for the swiftness of the passage of time, his long, sharp scythe hints at its inevitable destructive force. Time discovers Truth by lifting her drapery, exposing her nude body. Carrying her destructive torch, Falsehood, who has been banished by Truth and the rays of light flung by two additional putti, gracelessly tumbles away. Hovering nearby like attendants, three putti bear summarily sketched attributes of Time and Truth: an hourglass, a mirror, and a laurel branch. Maella further underscores the progression of Time with personifications of the four seasons in the corner roundels.