The ''Allegory of Virtue'' is an oil on canvas painting by

Correggio Antonio Allegri da Correggio (August 1489 – 5 March 1534), usually known as just Correggio (, also , , ), was the foremost painter of the Parma school of the High Italian Renaissance, who was responsible for some of the most vigorous and sens ...

dating to around 1531 and measuring 149 by 88 cm. It and '' Allegory of Vice'' were painted as a pair for the

studiolo A cabinet (also known by other terms) was a private room in the houses and palaces of early modern Europe serving as a study or retreat, usually for a man. The cabinet would be furnished with books and works of art, and sited adjacent to his bedc ...

Isabella d'Este Isabella d'Este (19 May 1474 – 13 February 1539) was Marchioness of Mantua and one of the leading women of the Italian Renaissance as a major cultural and political figure. She was a patron of the arts as well as a leader of fashion, whos ...

, with ''Vice'' probably the second of the two to be completed. This hypothesis is since only one (possibly non-autograph) sketch survives for ''Vice'', unlike ''Virtue'', for which two preparatory studies survive (in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the '' Venus de Milo''. A central ...

), along with a near-complete oil sketch (attributed to Correggio in the 1603 inventory of the

Aldobrandini The House of Aldobrandini is an Italian noble family originally from Florence, where in the Middle Ages they held the most important municipal offices. Now the Aldobrandini are resident in Rome, with close ties to the Vatican. History Their ...

collection and now at the

Galleria Doria Pamphili The Doria Pamphilj Gallery is a large art collection housed in the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, between Via del Corso and Via della Gatta. The principal entrance is on the Via del Corso (until recently, the entrance to the gallery was ...

) - this suggests Correggio had become more proficient after the difficult gestation of ''Virtue''. File:Allegoria della virtù, bozzetto, galleria doria pamphili.jpg, The Galleria Doria Pamphili sketch File:Allegoria della virtù, disegno preparatorio 1, louvre.jpg, Sketch File:Allegoria della virtù, disegno preparatorio 2, louvre.jpg, Sketch As usually interpreted, the central woman is

Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the R ...

, holding a read lance and a plumed helmet - the work may even be a continuation of Mantegna's 1502 '' Triumph of the Virtues'', painted for the same studiolo and also featuring a Minerva with a red lance. (Others have interpreted the figure as Isabella herself, dressed as Wisdom.) Glory hovers above her holding a crown, whilst a seated female figure to the left is surrounded by symbols of the four

cardinal virtues The cardinal virtues are four virtues of mind and character in both classical philosophy and Christian theology. They are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. They form a virtue theory of ethics. The term ''cardinal'' comes from the ...

(a snake in her hair for Prudence, a sword for Justice, reins for temperance and

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the ...

's lion skin for Fortitude). Some interpret the seated black female figure on the right as Astrology, Science or Intellectual Virtue - she points outside the painting's space and thus (like the putto in ''Vice'') draws the viewer's attention from one painting to the other. After the studiolo's contents was dispersed, ''Virtue'' and the Mantegna were given to

cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...

around 1627 and moved to Paris. There they were acquired by

Eberhard Jabach Everhard or Eberhard Jabach (10 July 1618 – 9 March 1695) was a French businessman, art collector and director of the French East India Company. He was born in Cologne in the Holy Roman Empire but later naturalised as a French subject. Life His ...

in 1671, before being sold by him to

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

- ''Virtue'' still hangs in the

References

{{Authority control category:16th-century allegorical paintings category:Allegorical paintings by Italian artists Paintings by Correggio 1531 paintings Paintings in the Louvre by Italian artists Snakes in art Angels in art