Justice, from the Cardinal Virtues

Art Historical Context

In this finely detailed engraving, a blindfolded woman stands barefoot within an oval medallion, embodying Justice. She holds a pair of balanced scales in one hand and raises a large sword in the other, her classical drapery falling in soft folds around her figure. The central scene is framed by an intricate border filled with scrolling foliage, birds, peacocks, an owl, and fantastical winged creatures, all rendered through precise lines and delicate cross-hatching that create rich contrasts of light and shadow. Created by Nicolaes de Bruyn between 1648 and 1656, this print belongs to a series representing the Cardinal Virtues. De Bruyn, working in Amsterdam, specialized in ornamental engravings that combined moral allegory with decorative motifs suited for architectural settings or printed books. The work’s elegant design and symbolic clarity reflect the refined printmaking traditions of the Dutch Golden Age, where such images served both as moral reminders and as models for craftsmen and collectors.

About the Artist

Nicolaes de Bruyn|Frederick de Wit · 1571–1656

Nicolaes de Bruyn was a Flemish printmaker born in Antwerp in 1571, active during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries and known primarily for his large, elaborately detailed engravings of landscapes, hunting scenes, and biblical and mythological subjects. He trained in the tradition of Flemish reproductive engraving and was deeply influenced by the work of his contemporaries and pre...