The cardinal virtue of Fortitude represented by a seated woman, her right hand on a column (possibly a modern impression)

Art Historical Context

This anonymous engraving from around 1480–1520 presents Fortitude, one of the four cardinal virtues, as a seated woman resting her hand on a sturdy column—a timeless symbol of inner strength and resilience. Created during the late Renaissance, when moral allegories flourished in European art, the print reflects the era’s interest in classical ideals revived through Christian teachings. Such images often served as moral guides, encouraging viewers to embody these virtues in daily life. The work’s technique is especially notable: it was printed from a plate engraved in the niello manner, a meth...

About the Artist

Anonymous

In the vast tapestry of art history, "Anonymous" stands not as a singular individual but as a collective designation for countless unidentified creators whose works have endured across millennia. These artists, spanning prehistoric cave painters to medieval illuminators and folk craftsmen, produced the foundational layers of human visual culture. Prior to the Renaissance, when individual fame emer...