Allegory of Charity

Raffaello Vanni (Siena 1587 - Siena 1673) . Oil painting on canvas, Allegory of Charity, by Raffaello Vanni (Siena 1587 - Siena 1673). A woodland setting, in which a woman in rustic dress comforts a number of children, one of whom sleeps, others play close by, with two embracing. Pendant to the Allegory of Faith (see NT 771298). Charity, or Divine Love, was one of the three Christian Virtues, and is sometimes represented, as in the chief motif here, by a woman nursing several children; and sometimes, as in the little scene on the left, by the chaste love of two infants embracing. Vanni was a Sienese who spent time in Rome under the patronage of his compatriot, the Chigi pope, Alexander VII. He combines the inflence of Roman classicism with the colour and graceful style of his native school, following his predecessors like Beccafumi. Osterley Park and House, London (Accredited Museum)