Sapientia c. 17th century

This small, anonymous print titled "Sapientia" uses etching to depict the concept of wisdom within an oval frame. "Sapientia," Latin for wisdom, was one of the four cardinal virtues. This print probably circulated in the Dutch Republic, where the rise of a mercantile class created a new market for secular imagery in the 17th century. The image places a female allegorical figure in front of a classical architectural backdrop. The virtue embodies a moral concept through a female form while alluding to the cultural authority of the classical world. But how does this image participate in the social dialogues of its time? It is important to consider that this print may have been part of a series about the virtues and vices. In the context of a series, “Sapientia” could have reinforced dominant ideas about social behaviour, or, perhaps it questioned those norms. To know more, one could look at emblematic books, moral treatises, and other prints from the same period. Approaching art history this way helps us understand how such images functioned within society.