The Virtues
Circa 1562-63
Church of Madonna dell'Orto
These five allegorical figures are in the half-dome above the chancel. Faith stands in the center with her traditional emblem, a chalice. On the left are Temperance and Justice. The traditional emblem for Temperance feet is at her feet: a pair of vases, one smaller than the other. Justice holds the traditional scales and sword in her left and right hands respectively.
On the far right Fortitude stands beside a broken column. She is more often depicted with military gear or armor.
Next to Fortitude is Prudence. A mirror is by far the most common emblem for this virtue, occasionally with a dragon or snakes. Here the artist has given her a snake and a pair of calipers. For images of Prudence the calipers are rare but not unknown.
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Read more about images of the cardinal virtues.
Photographed at the site by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.