Charity
published 1559
Medium
engraving
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.2120
Art Historical Context
**Charity** is a captivating engraving by Philip Galle, faithfully reproducing a design by the renowned Flemish master Pieter Bruegel the. Published in 1559, it to Bruegel's influential series on the Seven Virtues, where allegorical figures embody moral ideals amid bustling scenes of everyday life. Here, Charity—personified as a nurturing woman distributing food to the needy—stands at the center, surrounded by a lively crowd of peasants, children, and the impoverished. Bruegel's Northern Renaissance style shines through in the intricate details: expressive faces, rustic clothing, and a sense o...