English: This work is the culmination of Hoogstraten’s allegorical paintings, as it strongly uses symbolism and an almost theatrical staging; a nude woman is holding a mirror and a scale in her hands and she herself is standing in front of a mirror. The putto with the hourglass symbolises time, which will reveal truth. The figure on the right, curiously wearing a turban, casts a gaze in the direction of the viewers, as she moves out of the picture. The mask and the snake with the apple in its mouth identify her as the incarnation of deception. Hoogstraten used iconography to foster his image of being a scholarly artist. In his late allegories, he further distanced his own work from the art style of Rembrandt.