id:			128951
accession number:	1951.541
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1951.541
updated:		2022-09-12 09:29:52.732000

Charity, c. 1550–1600. Franco-Flemish, second half 16th century. Alabaster; overall: 29.9 x 14 x 14 cm (11 3/4 x 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Baroness R. de Kerchove 1951.541

title:				Charity
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			c. 1550–1600
creation date earliest:		1540
creation date latest:		1610
current location:		
creditline:			Gift of Baroness R. de Kerchove
copyright:			

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culture:	Franco-Flemish, second half 16th century
technique:	alabaster
department:	European Painting and Sculpture
collection:	Sculpture
type:		Sculpture
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 29.9 x 14 x 14 cm (11 3/4 x 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Art: The International Language
	opening date:   1956-10-02T04:00:00
	<i>Art: The International Language</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art (October 2-November 4, 1956).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

* New York, 1921-1922. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Dreicer Collection, temporarily exhibited in the Room of Recent Acquisitions, later moved to Sculpture (Floor 1, Room 6), 1922-1933.

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PROVENANCE

	Michael Dreicer, 1868-1921 (New York, New York), upon his death, held in trust by the estate.
	date: 
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	Estate of Michael Dreicer, by bequest to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1921.
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	Metropolitan Museum of Art, returned to Baroness Rene de Kerchove, by 1933.
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	Baroness Rene de Kerchove (Mrs. Maisie Dreicer Whyte), widow of Michael Dreicer (New York, New York)
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	, by gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1951.
	date: 
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fun fact: 


digital description: 


wall description: 
When this alabaster group entered the museum's collection, it was thought to depict the Virgin Mary, Christ, and Saint John the Baptist. It has been identified, however, as a personification of Charity, the most elevated of the three Christian theological virtues. The two other theological virtues are Faith and Hope. Within Christian belief, Charity is also known as a supernatural virtue, where the object of human conduct is the ultimate unification with God through love. Alluding to its eminent position, Charity sits enthroned, with powerful hybrid beasts supporting her chair. The diminutive footstool propping up her left foot may refer to the necessity of humility in one's relationship to God. Also, a child raises a vessel filled with fruits to another suggesting that selflessness and love are attributes of charitable actions.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 103
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1966/page/n127

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 103
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1969/page/n127

	The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 118
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978/page/n138

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1951.541/1951.541_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1951.541/1951.541_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1951.541/1951.541_full.tif