Abstract
Around 1587 the Haarlem engraver Jacob Matham executed a print series of the seven virtues and seven vices after designs by Hendrick Goltzius. Goltzius added an unusual element to the figure group of Charity: two boys embracing and kissing. In a slightly earlier printed version of the same subject the kiss-embrace is missing. Based on related emblems the subject can be identified as love’s wish to become one with the object of desire. In emblems this motif is applied to both marital and divine love. In my paper I will focus on the visual and textual sources of the motif. I propose Goltzius’s print was visually inspired by fi fteenth- and sixteenth-century images of the encounter of the holy infants that reflect medieval views on mystical marriage.
| Original language | English |
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| Publication status | Unpublished - 2014 |
| Event | RSA Annual Meeting 2014 - Hilton Midtown, New York City, United States Duration: 27 Mar 2014 → 29 Mar 2014 |
Conference
| Conference | RSA Annual Meeting 2014 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | New York City |
| Period | 27/03/14 → 29/03/14 |
Keywords
- charity
- iconography
- art history