Justice, plate 37 from Genii and Virtues (c. 1465): Artwork and History

Justice, plate 37 from Genii and Virtues (c. 1465) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as Master of the E-Series Tarocchi Italian, active c. 1465.

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

This delicate work, designed and engraved by an unknown artist, is from a series of 50 prints erroneously thought to be Tarocchi, a deck of tarot cards. The allegorical figures illustrate the breadth of human knowledge and ability: liberal arts and sciences, cardinal and spiritual virtues, and cosmic powers. Here, Justice is depicted with sword, scales, and a crane holding a rock—the symbol of vigilance. Medieval texts state that crane sentinels are given stones to verify their careful watch for danger. If they fall asleep and the stone drops, they have neglected their duty. Here, Justice is never sleeping and always vigilant.

Object facts

• Title: Justice, plate 37 from Genii and Virtues
• Date: c. 1465
• Artist attribution: Master of the E-Series Tarocchi Italian, active c. 1465
• Place of origin: Italy
• Medium: Engraving in black on tan laid paper
• Dimensions: 17.8 × 9.9 cm (7 1/16 × 3 15/16 in.)
• Type: Print
• Department: Prints and Drawings
• Reference number: 1924.39.25

Collection credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.

View the original

Explore the artwork in the Art Institute's collection, including its image and the museum's current catalogue details.

The description above is credited to the Art Institute of Chicago and reused under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0; HTML formatting has been converted to plain text. Other catalogue metadata and the public-domain image are provided under CC0 1.0.