Allegory of Justice
Artist: Bernardino Mei (Italian, 1612-1676)
Date: 1656
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: National Museum, Stockholm, Sweden
Description
The painting is an allegory in which the female figure in the foreground, Iustitia, personifies the abstract concept of "justice". Her attributes are the scales and the sword. The open book at the bottom left is the 'Institutiones Justiniani', part of the 'Corpus iuris civilis', a codification of Roman law, which was compiled in the 6th century by order of Emperor Justinian I (483-565 AD) and had a great influence on jurisprudence in both the East and the West.






