Plate 5, from a series of eight pendant designs with the cardinal virtues
1616â1623
Classification
jewelry
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase from Drawings and Prints Council Fund
Accession Number
2001-22-1-5
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Plate 5 from Johann Theodor de Bry's Series Pendant Designs** Johann Theodor de Bry a prominent German engraver active in the early 17th century (1–1623), this intricate design around 1616–1623. Part of a rare series of eight pendant sketches depicting the cardinal virtues—Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance—Plate 5 captures the moral symbolism cherished in Renaissance and early Baroque Europe. De Bry, from the influential de Bry family of artists and publishers, specialized in detailed engravings that bridged art and ornament, reflecting the era's fascination with classical antiquity ...