Tracing board second degree

A tracing board is a picture or floor-cloth depicting the gathered symbols of the degree to which it belongs, used during lectures to explain those symbols to a candidate 1.

On the second degree tracing board, the central imagery features the allegory of Solomon's Temple and its two Great Pillars, which became a prominent part of the degree's symbolism around 1740 or 1750 1. Older tracing boards and early lodge representations drew their pillar symbolism from the Legend of the Craft in the Old Charges, leading to periods where lodges depicted multiple sets of pillars before they coalesced in the ritual 1. The board also historically incorporates two globes—one celestial representing the sky, and one terrestrial representing the land—which symbolize the universality of Masonry and the establishment of lodges across all countries 1.