Forteza (from the Tarocchi, series B: Cosmic Principles & Virtues, #36) (before 1467): Art, History and Details

Forteza (from the Tarocchi, series B: Cosmic Principles & Virtues, #36) (before 1467) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Master of the E-Series Tarocchi (Italian, active 1460s).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This engraving is part of the group marked with the letter “B,” and named Cosmic Principles and the Virtues, which comprises the three Universal principles (Light, Time, and Space) alongside the three theological virtues (Faith, Hope, and Charity) and the four cardinal ones (Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude, and Justice). The latter were regarded as the basic Christian principles required for a virtuous life. Here, Forteza (Fortitude) is represented as a full-length female figure in profile, wearing a lion’s skin on her head and a lion armor. She holds a broken column with her left hand. This gesture alludes to the biblical figure of Samson, who toppled a building, killed his captors, and ultimately himself. Fortitude as a personification of strength is flanked by a lion, her symbol that appears behind her.

Object facts

• Title: Forteza (from the Tarocchi, series B: Cosmic Principles & Virtues, #36)
• Date: before 1467
• Creator attribution: Master of the E-Series Tarocchi (Italian, active 1460s)
• Culture: Italy, Ferrara, 15th century
• Type: Print
• Technique: engraving, hand-colored with gold
• Collection: PR - Engraving
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1924.432.36

Collection credit

Dudley P. Allen Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.