Master of the E-Series Tarocchi
Italian, active c. 1465
Charity, plate 38 from Genii and Virtues
INV-1147
Master of the E-Series Tarocchi
Italian, active c. 1465c. 1465
Charity, plate 38 from Genii and Virtues
Master of the E-Series Tarocchi Italian, active c. 1465 →engravingprint
Date
c. 1465
Medium
Engraving on paper
Dimensions
Image: 17.7 × 9.6 cm (7 × 3 13/16 in.); Plate: 17.9 × 10.1 cm (7 1/16 × 4 in.); Sheet: 18.6 × 10.5 cm (7 3/8 × 4 3/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.
Part of the thematic tarocchi group Geniuses and Virtues, this engraving depicts Charity as encompassing both the love of God (caritas Dei) and the love of one’s neighbor (caritas proximi). Her right hand shakes coins from an open purse, symbolizing the distribution of alms, while her left hand opens her cloak to reveal her flaming heart, an icon that has been used since the 14th century to signify God’s passion. The pelican at the lower left is also a representation of Charity, as it opens its breast with its beak in order to feed its young with its own blood.
Also notable
Works in the same vein
