Chastity, from "The Virtues"

Art Historical Context

In the mid-16th century, German engraver Heinrich Aldegver crafted *Chastity*, part of his renowned series *The Virtues*. Produced in 1552 during the Northern Renaissance, this small engraving embodies the era's fascination with moral allegory, where personified virtues served as guides for ethical living. Aldegre, a master of the "Little Masters group—known for their intricate miniature prints—influenced by Albrecht Dürer, used such works to disseminate humanist ideals through affordable, reproducible art. Measuring just 4 × 2 3/8 inches, the engraving features a female nude symbolizing Chas...

About the Artist

Heinrich Aldegrever · 1502–1561

Heinrich Aldegrever, born in 1502 in Paderborn, Westphalia, to parents Herman and Katherine Trippenmeker—a family of clog-makers known by the dialect name Trippenmecker—emerged as a multifaceted artist in the German Renaissance. His early training remains undocumented, though he likely apprenticed in a Soest goldsmith's workshop after relocating there around 1525, where he joined the painters' gui...