Artist: Anthony Van Dyck (Flemish, 1599-1641)
Collection: The National Gallery, London, United Kingdom
In his first letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul outlines the importance of faith, hope and charity, naming charity as the greatest of the three. At the time this picture was painted, charity meant combining the love of god with love of one’s neighbour.
From the sixteenth century onward, charity was often represented as a woman, shown breastfeeding a child or children; Van Dyck instead shows three infants clinging to her. She is celestial Charity and her upward glance links her to heaven – the source of her strength as she struggles to fulfil others’ needs. The cloak billowing behind her is painted in shades of ultramarine, the traditional colour of the Virgin Mary.
Van Dyck produced this shortly after his return from a long stay in Venice, where he was influenced by the works of Titian. The rich colours of the artist are evident in the lustrous drapery, although it’s thought that these have changed over time and were once a little more subdued.
