Netherlands, late 16th Century / c. 1590
Charity
Charity
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Charity as painting (Netherlands, late 16th Century · c. 1590).
WHY IT’S INTERESTING
Charity is almost always personified as a woman with children.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on wood and credits Abraham Bloemaert (Dutch, 1566–1651).
The museum's collection notes: Abraham Bloemaert drew on traditional depictions of the Virgin and Child for this allegorical image of Charity: a woman surrounded by children, one an infant for whom she has bared her breast. Bloemaert was one of the leading proponents of the Mannerist style in the Northern Netherlands. Characteristics of that style include exaggerated figural proportions, contorted poses, heightened colors, densely packed compositions, and a deliberate eroticism—invoked here to emphasize the magnetic quality of Charity’s serene beauty.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtCharityOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.