Allegory of Fortitude
- Artist: Luca Giordano
- Date: early 1680s
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the "Allegory of Fortitude" by Luca Giordano. Painted in the early 1680s, it's one of a series of ten modelli that Giordano made in preparation for the ceiling frescoes in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence. The four Cardinal Virtues are depicted on the ceiling, and Fortitude is represented just left of centre here.
Fortitude is crowned by Honour and, with Constancy standing to her left, she triumphs over Fear and Misery. On the right stands Valour; Victory sits above him, holding a standard and a pomegranate. Peace descends to earth, carrying a flaming torch and olive branch.
This painting is actually a study for one of the ceiling frescoes, but it gives us a unique perspective on Giordano's vision for these scenes. You can see how he uses symbolism and allegory to convey the themes of courage and resilience that are at the heart of Fortitude.
See it in person
Allegory of Fortitude hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
