Prudence (Prudentia)
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Prudence (Prudentia)
From The Seven Virtues (Antwerp: Hieronymous Cock, c.1559-60)1559
16th century
22.2 x 29.4 cm (8 3/4 x 11 9/16 in.)
Pieter Bruegel the elder (aka Bruegel, Pieter, I)
Breda, Netherlands c. 1525–1569 Breda, NetherlandsPhilips Galle Haarlem, Netherlands 1537–1612 Haarlem, Netherlands
Classification:
Print
Medium/Technique:
Engraving
Credit Line:
Bequest of the Reverend John J. Kelley
Accession Number:
1966.1.72
Not on display - Available to view by appointment
Artist
Engraved by Philips Galle after Pieter Brueghel
Commentary
Prudence (Prudentia)If you wish to be prudent, think always of the future, and weigh all conceivable contingencies.
Upon her head, the personification of Prudence carries a sieve (to symbolize sifting good from evil). She holds a mirror (for self-knowledge) and a coffin (a reminder to live prudently in the awareness of death). The ladders upon which she stands allude to firefighting, symbolizing the need to resist passions that can burn out of control. Surrounding Prudence are examples of foresight and care: a woman carefully douses a cooking fire, a sick man is attended by a doctor and a priest, men repair a house and store bundles of twigs, a man puts coins into a chest for safekeeping, and workers prepare meats and other foodstuffs for storage.
Additional Images
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Cropped
This object was included in the following exhibitions:
- Early Prints from the Rev. John J. Kelley Collection Saint Joseph College Art Gallery , 5/2/1991 - 10/31/1991
- Life Lessons: Sixteenth Century Allegorical Prints from the Low Countries , 3/26/2010 - 6/6/2010
- Selections from the Reverend John J. Kelley Bequest Art Museum, University of Saint Joseph , 3/29/2019 - 6/9/2019
- Plate Dimensions: 22.2 x 29.4 cm (8 3/4 x 11 9/16 in.)
- Paper Dimensions: 24.3 x 31.6 cm (9 9/16 x 12 7/16 in.)
- Mount Dimensions: 27.4 x 32.8 cm (10 13/16 x 12 15/16 in.)
Portfolio List
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