Charity personified by a woman with three children 1515 - 1525

This anonymous Italian engraving from the early 16th century depicts Charity personified as a woman holding a child while two other children cling to her drapery. The use of allegory was popular during the Renaissance, and this artwork uses it to portray the virtue of Charity, a theme prevalent in religious and moral art of the time. The artist’s use of crosshatching and subtle shading creates a sense of depth and volume, making the figures appear three-dimensional despite the small size of the artwork. This engraving, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, offers a glimpse into the artistic sensibilities of the early Renaissance period and provides insight into the moral values that informed art during that era.