Faith, from Virtues and Vices

Art Historical Context

This engraving, titled *Faith*, forms part of Jacques de Gheyn II and Zacharias Dolendo’s series *Virtues and Vices*, created between 1596 and 1597. De Gheyn, a leading Dutch draftsman and print designer of the late Renaissance, supplied the composition, while Dolendo, a skilled engraver, translated it into this detailed print. Measuring just over nine inches tall, the work exemplifies the intimate scale often used for moral and devotional imagery intended for private contemplation or collection. In the tradition of allegorical art, *Faith* belongs to a long-standing European theme that personified moral qualities to guide viewers toward virtuous living. Produced during the Dutch Republic’s early years, such prints blended religious instruction with emerging artistic sophistication. The engraving medium allowed these ideas to circulate widely among educated audiences, serving both as spiritual reminders and as demonstrations of technical artistry. As the first of two states documented in the New Hollstein catalogue, this impression highlights the careful process of printmaking, where subtle adjustments could refine the image across editions. Today it resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints, part of the Elisha Whittelsey Collection acquired in 1949.