Johannes Vermeer - Allegory of the Catholic Faith [c.1670-72]

Johannes Vermeer - Allegory of the Catholic Faith [c.1670-72], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

One of Vermeer's most unusual pictures, this large canvas was probably commissioned by a Catholic patron. The subject was adopted from a standard handbook of iconography, Cesare Ripa's Iconologia. Vermeer interpreted Ripa's description of Faith with the "world at her feet" literally, showing a Dutch globe published in 1618. The divine world is suggested by the glass sphere hanging overhead. The painting of the Crucifixion on the wall copies a work by Jacob Jordaens. Among the several Christological symbols, the most prominent are the apple, emblem of the first sin, and the serpent (Satan) crushed by a stone (Christ, the cornerstone of the church). Dating from about 1670, the work strikes a balance between abstraction and haunting similitude.

[Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York - Oil on canvas, 114.3 x 88.9 cm]