{"id":25637,"date":"2020-06-27T02:46:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-27T06:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/?post_type=product&p=25637"},"modified":"2023-05-18T16:47:57","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T20:47:57","slug":"old-masters-allegory-seven-virtues-set-of-7-etchings-antique-dutch-1580s","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/product\/old-masters-allegory-seven-virtues-set-of-7-etchings-antique-dutch-1580s\/","title":{"rendered":"Old Masters, Allegory, Seven Virtues, Set of 7 Etchings, Antique, Dutch, 1580s"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Bodies of Knowledge: the Presentation of Personified Figures in Engraved Allegorical Series Produced in the Netherlands, 1548-1600, <\/strong>Shamos summarizes his general thesis in the Abstract:<\/p>\n

During the second half of the sixteenth century, engraved series of allegorical\u00a0 subjects featuring personified figures flourished for several decades in the Low Countries before falling into disfavor. Designed by the Netherlands\u2019 leading artists and cut by professional engravers, such series were collected primarily by the urban intelligentsia, who appreciated the use of personification for the representation of immaterial concepts and for the transmission of knowledge, both in prints and\u00a0 in public spectacles. The pairing of embodied forms and serial format was particularly well suited to the portrayal of abstract themes with multiple components, such as the Four Elements, Four Seasons, Seven Planets, Five Senses, <\/em>or Seven Virtues <\/em>and Seven Vices<\/em>. While many of the themes had existed prior to their adoption in Netherlandish graphics, their pictorial rendering had rarely been so pervasive or systematic. \u2026 As a form of visual rhetoric linked to other cultural practices, engraved allegorical series played a pivotal role in mediating and schematizing immaterial ideas for an educated elite in the Low Countries.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Shamos classifies the offered set as among a group of Netherlandish prints characterized by \u201cThe Use of Clouds as Presentational Devices for Cosmological Allegory.\u201d He explains their use in the offered set, which illustrate a female virtue deity in the clouds above a scene of the virtue exemplified in Roman history:<\/p>\n

The placement of allegorical virtues above historical narratives \u2013 rather than\u00a0 contemporary scenes \u2013 alters the relationship between registers, creating a\u00a0 greater equivalence between the figures in the two zones. The personified figures\u00a0 above the clouds are timeless and transcendent, while the exemplary figures in\u00a0 the lower registers have been immortalized as a result of their deeds. The two\u00a0 sets of figures double the allegorical representation of each virtue, providing alternative models for appropriate behavior.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Shamos first describes the title page that precedes the seven numbered prints, which is not present in the above offered set:<\/p>\n

The suite includes seven prints as well as a title page, which shows\u00a0 personifications of the seven canonical virtues on clouds arrayed in a U-shape around the outside of the page. The three Theological Virtues \u2013 Hope, Faith, and Charity \u2013 appear across top, and the four Cardinal Virtues \u2013 Prudence, Justice,\u00a0 Fortitude, and Temperance \u2013 occupy the sides.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Shamos notes, however, that the virtues in the suite of seven numbered prints following the title page \u201cportray other qualities\u201d than the seven Canonical virtues on the title page. Indeed, it is unclear to us as a matter of logic whether this so-called title page was always specifically issued to precede the seven prints offered here. Regardless, Shamos describes the iconography of the personified virtues and the historical illustrations for the seven numbered plates (offered here) as follows:<\/p>\n

The first [Innocentia, Plate 1<\/strong>] shows Innocence with a lamb and child standing nearby. Shown with her hands clasped to her breast, the virtue resembles the personification of Faith, often shown in a similar manner. Below, the scene of children at play recalls de Vos\u2019s design for the depiction of Luna-Infancy-Nature from the series of the Seven Planets and the Seven Ages of Man. In the following print, [Pietas, Plate 2<\/strong>], Piety presides over Aeneas\u2019s flight from the destruction of Troy with his father, Anchises, on his shoulders and his son, Ascanius, following close behind as the city burns in the background. The image serves as the exemplum for duty, respect, and obedience toward one\u2019s parents. To the right appears another example of filial piety, as Pero secretly nurses her incarcerated father, Cimon, in a selfless act that impresses her father\u2019s jailers and wins his release.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the following print, [Liberalitis, Plate 3<\/strong>], Liberality disperses coins from a purse, while her\u00a0 earthly representatives, Nerva and Cimon, distribute alms to the poor and destitute. As Roman emperor, (96 \u201398 AD), Nerva frequently distributed charity and provided grain to the poor. In his eulogy for Cimon, an Athenian statesman of the fifth century BCE, Plutarch noted his exemplary generosity and hospitality.<\/em><\/p>\n

In another image from the series, [Constantia, Plate 4<\/strong>], Mucius Scaevola places his hand on the burning altar. The billowing smoke that rises from the flame seems to constitute the cloud on which Constancy sits. Mucius Scaevola appeared frequently in Renaissance compilations of exemplary figures, including Goltzius\u2019s series of eight heroes of ancient Rome (1586). Following his capture by the Etruscans in 508 BC, Mucius demonstrated his bravery and steadfast allegiance to Rome by placing his hand in a fire, a gesture that impressed his captors and secured his freedom.<\/em><\/p>\n

With doves resting on her fingers, [in Concordia, Plate 5<\/strong>], Concord appears above the twins Castor and Pollux. The Dioscuri appear in the moments following Castor\u2019s fatal wounding at the hands of Idas, when Pollux decides to share his brother\u2019s fate so that they can remain together. The stars on their brows indicate their celestial transformation into Gemini following their deaths.<\/em><\/p>\n

[In Victoria, Plate 6<\/strong>] Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great appear beneath winged Victory, with a warship and soldiers behind. The two great leaders represent martial triumph, while [in Pax, Plate 7<\/strong>] Numa and Solomon serve as exemplars of Peace, personified above as a female figure with a laurel branch in her hand. Through his wisdom Solomon obtained decades of peace for the kingdom of Israel, while Numa, the legendary second king of Rome, secured peace with Rome\u2019s enemies. Behind the two kings stands the Temple of Janus with closed doors, an indication of a time of peace.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Condition: Each generally fine, having with the usual overall light toning, wear, handling, soft creases. Printed with plate marks variously askew as typical for prints of this era; nonetheless with good margins for framing evenly.<\/p>\n

References:<\/p>\n

“Constantia.” Metropolitan Museum of Art.<\/em>\u00a0 2000-2020. https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/art\/collection\/search\/383753 (2 July 2020).<\/p>\n

Shamos, Geoffrey, “Bodies of Knowledge: The Presentation of Personified Figures in Engraved Allegorical Series Produced in the Netherlands, 1548-1600” (2015). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations.<\/em> 1128. http:\/\/repository.upenn.edu\/edissertations\/1128 (2 July 2020).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Maerten de Vos (1532-1603) (after) (attributed to)
\nAdriaen Collaert et al. (c. 1560- 1618) (etcher) (attributed to)
\n[Seven Virtues]<\/strong>
\nInnocentia, Plate 1 [Innocence]<\/strong>
\nPietas, Plate 2 [Piety]<\/strong>
\nLiberalitas, Plate 3 [Generosity]<\/strong>
\nConstantia, Plate 4 [Courage]<\/strong>
\nConcordia, Plate 5 [Harmony]<\/strong>
\nVictoria, Plate 6 [Victory]<\/strong>
\nPax, Plate 7 [Peace]<\/strong>
\nGerhard de Jode and\/or Pieter de Jode the Elder [?], Antwerp: c. 1580s
\nEtchings, uncolored
\n11 x 8 inches each platemark
\n14.5 x 10.25 inches each overall
\n$4,200, the set (i.e.,<\/em> 7 prints @ $600 each)<\/p>\n

A numbered set of seven allegorical prints of the Virtues. Each print features a female Roman goddess shown in the clouds personifying her trait above a scene from Roman history that illustrates it. They are fine examples of the popular trend of personified allegorical prints by Dutch artists made for Dutch aristocrats in the second half of the 16th century. Examples of four of the seven offered prints are in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which attributes the images to artist Maerten de Vos, published in Antwerp in 1581. Scholar Geoffrey Shamos, in his Ph.D thesis writes extensively about prints of this period, including numerous sets by de Vos. He states that this set was published by the renowned map publisher Gerhard de Jode (1509\u20131591)<\/span> in about 1585 together with a preliminary illustrated title page (not present with the above offered seven prints) with the words Virtuti Fortuna Cedit<\/strong> (i.e.<\/em>, fortune yields to virtue). Nonetheless, the name of Gerhard de Jode’s son, Pieter de Jode the Elder (1570-1634) a<\/span>ppears on Plate 1 as “execud” indicating that he was the printer or publisher, though we note he would have been a teenager in the 1580s. Shamos references various attributions by other scholars of the set to de Vos but does not himself adopt that attribution per se.\u00a0 He states that the etcher is unknown, but suggests in a footnote that the set possibly was engraved by the Collaert family of engravers \u2014 specifically Adriaen Collaert or one of his elders. In summary, the attributions of this set as to artist, etcher, title, and date are at present subject to educated speculation. In any case, as a complete sequential numbered set of seven, these prints are very rare.<\/p>\n

Product description continues below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":25658,"template":"","meta":{"wds_primary_product_brand":0,"wds_primary_product_cat":0,"footnotes":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[6010,955,952,5914,5971],"product_tag":[1993,7048,8497,8506,8492,8493,1766,8494,8495,8498,8507,1673,8003,8491],"class_list":{"0":"post-25637","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-fine-art-prints","7":"product_cat-myth-allegory","8":"product_cat-old-masters","9":"product_cat-religions","10":"product_cat-women","11":"product_tag-allegory","12":"product_tag-antique-print","13":"product_tag-concordia","14":"product_tag-constantia","15":"product_tag-de-jode","16":"product_tag-de-vos","17":"product_tag-etching","18":"product_tag-innocentia","19":"product_tag-liberalitis","20":"product_tag-pax","21":"product_tag-pietas","22":"product_tag-print","23":"product_tag-victoria","24":"product_tag-virtues","25":"post","26":"post-with-thumbnail","27":"post-with-thumbnail-large","29":"first","30":"instock","31":"purchasable","32":"product-type-simple"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/25637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/25637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37814,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/25637\/revisions\/37814"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=25637"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=25637"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgeglazer.com\/wpmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=25637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}