A Pair of Flemish Renaissance Tapestry Panels Depicting Fortitude and Faith

A pair of Flemish Renaissance tapestry panels depicting the allegorical female figures of Fortitude (Fortitudo) and Faith (Fides), each set beneath a classical architectural arch with ornamental urns and a landscape beyond.

Fortitude, one of the Four Cardinal Virtues, is represented as a seated female figure accompanied by a lion, symbolising courage and strength, and holding what appears to be a fragment of a broken classical column, an established attribute of the virtue.

Faith, one of the Three Theological Virtues, is depicted as a standing female figure holding a book and crucifix, traditional symbols of Christian belief and devotion.

The architectural settings, classical ornament and treatment of the figures reflect the Renaissance decorative vocabulary employed by tapestry workshops in the Southern Netherlands during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.

The panels were probably conceived as part of a larger allegorical series illustrating the Christian Virtues.