O discurso iconográfico como signo das Luzes: o frontispicio da Encyclopédie e a obra de Mestre Ataíde

French Enlightenment thought developed its own iconography. Mestre Ataíde, a prominent Brazilian artist from the colonial period, had engraving manuals in his library, including plates from the Encyclopédie. A comparative analysis of the compositional structure and lines of force of the Frontispiece of the Encyclopédie (Cochin, 1675) and the works Ascension of Christ (1806) and Assumption of the Virgin (1804), both by Mestre Ataíde, suggests the potential presence of Enlightenment symbols in their iconography. Based on this premise, it is expected to contribute to studies that connect French Enlightenment ideals to Brazil in the 19th century.