Allegory of Prudence
Artist: Luca Giordano (Italian, 1634-1705)
Date: Early 1680's
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: The National Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Description
This modello, or detailed oil study, is one of a group of 12 that Giordano made in preparation for the ceiling frescoes in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence in 1682–5. Ten of the modelli are in the National Gallery's collection, and this one represents one of the four Cardinal Virtues. First identified by the philosopher Plato, these were later adopted by the Roman Catholic Church. A different Virtue is depicted in each corner of the ceiling.
Here, Prudence carries an arrow with a serpent entwined around it. On the left are two mathematicians, probably Archimedes and Euclid, representing Order and Reason. Cowering at the feet of Prudence is Fraud (the two-faced figure with claws), while Ignorance holds up a donkey’s head. In the sky are figures representing, from left to right: Abundance (or Felicity), with a cornucopia and olive branch; Grace, who holds a key; and Wellbeing, with a shield and a cup.