Fortitude, plate 36 from Genii and Virtues
Medium
Engraving in black on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 18 × 10 cm (7 1/8 × 3 15/16 in.); Sheet: 18.6 × 10.5 cm (7 3/8 × 4 3/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
11471
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This delicate work, designed and engraved by an unknown artist, is from a series of 50 prints erroneously thought to be Tarocchi, a deck of tarot cards. The allegorical figures illustrate the breadth of human knowledge and ability: liberal arts and sciences, cardinal and spiritual virtues, and cosmic powers. Here, the personification of strength wears lion armor and holds a broken column—an allusion to the biblical figure Samson, whose final powerful act was toppling a building, killing his capt...
About the Artist
Master of the E-Series Tarocchi · 1460–1475
The Master of the E-Series Tarocchi was an anonymous Italian engraver active in Ferrara around 1465, during the vibrant era of the Este court. His early life and training remain undocumented, but stylistic affinities link him to artists collaborating with Francesco del Cossa on the frescoes of Palazzo Schifanoia's Salone dei Mesi. Working in the Ferrarese tradition, he produced the pioneering E-se...