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Charity, plate 38 from Genii and Virtues

A work made of engraving on paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of engraving on paper.

Date:

c. 1465

Artist:

Master of the E-Series Tarocchi
Italian, active c. 1465

About this artwork

Part of the thematic tarocchi group Geniuses and Virtues, this engraving depicts Charity as encompassing both the love of God (caritas Dei) and the love of one’s neighbor (caritas proximi). Her right hand shakes coins from an open purse, symbolizing the distribution of alms, while her left hand opens her cloak to reveal her flaming heart, an icon that has been used since the 14th century to signify God’s passion. The pelican at the lower left is also a representation of Charity, as it opens its breast with its beak in order to feed its young with its own blood.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Master of the E-Series Tarocchi

Title

Charity, plate 38 from Genii and Virtues

Place

Italy (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1460–1470

Medium

Engraving on paper

Dimensions

Image: 17.7 × 9.6 cm (7 × 3 13/16 in.); Plate: 17.9 × 10.1 cm (7 1/16 × 4 in.); Sheet: 18.6 × 10.5 cm (7 3/8 × 4 3/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.

Reference Number

1924.39.29

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/11475/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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