| Artist | |
|---|---|
| Culture | Netherlandish |
| Date | ca. 1685 |
| Object type | painting |
| Medium, technique | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 126 × 123 cm |
| Inventory number | 75.12 |
| Collection | Old Master Paintings |
| On view | Museum of Fine Arts, First Floor, European Art 1600–1700 and British Painting 1600–1800, Cabinet 14 |
The painter and significant art theorist was greatly influenced by the French neoclassicists, which later earned him the nickname of the “Dutch Poussin”. This work, probably part of a series on the virtues, depicts an allegory of constancy. Despite the sensuality of the young girl seated in the focus of the composition, she exudes a sense of dignity. With a resolute gesture, she rejects the string of pearls and the mirror; symbols of vanity. The triumph of the virtue of constancy is reinforced by several other motifs: the broken arrow of Cupid, the embodiment of carnal desire; the figure of Danaë, condemned to a life of chastity by being imprisoned in a brass tower, who appears in the circular relief on the wooden chest; and the statue of the “unapproachable” Pallas Athene, virgin goddess of wisdom, visible in the background.
This record is subject to revision due to ongoing research.
