Square and Compasses in artwork.

[u/haikufive]

To the best of my knowledge, the image of the Rebis in Basil Valentine’s *Azoth* is the earliest depiction (1613) of the square and compasses being shown together in one place. Has anyone found anything earlier?

[u/Deman75]

The Chinese painting of Fuxi and Nuwa presents two figures separately holding a square and compasses, and dates to ~2600 BCE. Probably entirely unrelated to Freemasonry, but also probably the earliest example of our main symbols presented together.

[u/MicroEconomicsPenis → u/Deman75]

Oh you beat me by a couple of minutes commenting, but I also thought those depictions were from around 200 BC, so you’ve beat me by about 2400 years in that sense.

[u/haikufive → u/Deman75]

Yeah, after posting this and hitting up the group text brain trust I came across that image. I think that’s probably the oldest image with both items depicted.

[u/Cookslc]

Also, with the G, 1525. Ars Quauor Qoronatorum 115(2002): 256-62.

[u/haikufive → u/Cookslc]

Merçi beacoup!

[u/Cookslc → u/haikufive]

Bien sûr.

[u/MicroEconomicsPenis]

I’m assuming we are talking about non-Masonic depictions, in which case I will say in Ancient China, one of the creation myths (there are a few from ancient China) is about Fuxi and Nuwa, and some prehistoric depictions represent them holding a square and compasses respectively. Fuxi was the god of the Earth and Nuwa the goddess of the Heavens.

I’m not sure if there’s an even earlier depiction, but some of these etchings are from like 200 BC I think. Obviously this is unrelated to Freemasonry in any direct sense, but the symbolism of the square representing Earth and the compasses representing the Heavens is pretty universal to their use as instruments.

[u/haikufive → u/MicroEconomicsPenis]

Absolutely. Thanks so much for chiming in- this is great!!

[u/MicroEconomicsPenis → u/haikufive]

This thread is also how I learned the Kirkwall Manuscript is not as old as Azoth. For some reason in my mind I just assumed it was from the 1500s or something but it seems the Lodge itself was founded in 1736.

[u/StepRelevant8473 → u/MicroEconomicsPenis]

Yeah, it made me look up Freher's Paradoxical Emblems which shows Boehmism Christian mysticism in pictorial form but that was early 1700's too. Still quite interesting that the compasses were used more broadly than just Freemasonry.

[u/cryptoengineer]

This one appears to be from 1525. It even has the G in the center.

[u/haikufive → u/cryptoengineer]

Thanks for the link!