“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
(I Cor. 13, 13)

Purchased in 2007 with the support of Banque Pictet Luxembourg, our painting shows Charity, traditionally considered to be the most important of the three theological virtues. Her representation as a woman breastfeeding two children, inspired by ancient images of the Virgo lactans, the Virgin breastfeeding the infant Christ, appears in Italy in the first half of the 14th century. In later versions of the subject, we often find, as in our painting, several children surrounding the mother.

In accordance with the dignity and the positive connotation of this allegory, the woman is lavishly adorned. A golden pearl embellished diadem holds back her curly blond hair, styled in courtly fashion. He belt gridding her dress is adorned by a golden buckle also studded with pearls. To the right, a white curtain hangs above the group of figures.

The painting deliberately accentuates the colour of the complexions and the range of movements. All the bodies are twisted, a characteristic feature of Mannerism.

Very little is known about the artist’s life. Vincent Sellaer was born in Mechelen around 1500, where he is known to have worked as a painter between 1538 and 1544. His originality lies in his capacity to skilfully combine Italian and northern influences. It seems that he stayed in Italy between 1520 and 1525, among other places in Brescia from 1522 to 1524. His work shows a strong interested in Leonardo da Vinci and the Lombard School as well as influences from Florentine and Roman artists such as Andrea del Sarto and Raphael. Close to Titian, Romani and Veronese, his use of colours is influenced by the Venetian School.