Temperance (from the Tarocchi, Series B: Cosmic Principles & Virtues, #34) (before 1467): Art, History and Details

Temperance (from the Tarocchi, Series B: Cosmic Principles & Virtues, #34) (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, comprising 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 personified as a full-length female figure, Temperancia (Temperance) is about to pour the liquid contained in the pitcher she is holding with her left hand into another vessel held in her right hand. Next to her, on the left corner, is an ermine or a weasel, looking at his own reflection in a small round mirror.

Object facts

• Title: Temperance (from the Tarocchi, Series B: Cosmic Principles & Virtues, #34)
• 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
• Dimensions: Platemark: 18 x 10.2 cm (7 1/16 x 4 in.); Sheet: 20.9 x 15.2 cm (8 1/4 x 6 in.)
• Collection: PR - Engraving
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1924.432.34

A detail from the museum

Desirable character traits, such as Temperance, seen here, were often portrayed as beautiful women in the medieval and early modern periods.

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.