Charity personified by a woman with three children
ca. 1520–40
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
5 7/16 x 3 1/4 in. (13.8 x 8.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962
Accession Number
62.600.525
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the serene elegance of Renaissance printmaking, *Charity Personified by a Woman with Three Children* (ca. 1520–40) captures one of the three theological virtues through a tender maternal figure cradling her young charges. Attributed to the masterful engraver Marcantonio Raimondi—or possibly from his anonymous workshop—this intimate engraving measures just 5 7/16 x 3 1/4 inches, yet conveys profound emotion. Raimondi, a pivotal figure in 16th-century Italy, was renowned for translating Raphael's designs into prints, making high art accessible beyond elite patrons. The image draws on classic...
About the Artist
Anonymous|Marcantonio Raimondi
In the vast tapestry of art history, "Anonymous" stands not as a singular individual but as a collective designation for countless unidentified creators whose works have endured across millennia. These artists, spanning prehistoric cave painters to medieval illuminators and folk craftsmen, produced the foundational layers of human visual culture. Prior to the Renaissance, when individual fame emer...