Square and Compasses any Masonic symbol) that is used by Freemasonry as a whole. In many English speaking countries, the Square and Compasses are depicted with the letter "G" in the center. The letter has multiple meanings, representing different words depending on the context in which it is discussed. The most common is that the "G" stands for Geometry, and is to remind Masons that Geometry and Freemasonry are synonymous terms described as being the "noblest of sciences", and "the basis upon which the superstructure of Freemasonry, and everything in existence in the entire universe is erected. In this context it can also
Young woman with a letter and a messenger in an interior right-hand corner of a vestibule paved with tiles. A dog lies on her lap ; a bigger dog stands to the left. Through a door on the right a man-servant, hat in hand, enters with a letter. The scene is lighted from a window and from the street-door on the left, outside of which stands a child with a whip. Through the door are seen the trees by the canal and the sunlit houses on the other side of the street, which is the Kloveniersburgwal in Amsterdam. Signed "P d' hooch f. 1670" ; canvas, 27 inches by 23 1/2