Allegorical Figure of Faith

Faith, Hope and Charity are the three virtues the Church calls theological, and Venetian painters of the 16th century often gave them female form. This small canvas, just over half a metre tall, shows Faith, and it has a partner of almost exactly the same size that shows Charity. Both were once listed under the name of Paolo Veronese himself. The Museum of Fine Arts now catalogues them as the work of a follower, a painter who worked in Veronese's manner and whose name has not come down to us. The museum gives no date for either picture.