Artwork
Caritas (Charity)
Caritas (Charity) is an unspecified painting by Bartolomeo Ghetti. It dates from 1528 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1528, *Caritas* is an oil painting by the Florentine artist Bartolomeo Ghetti, whose activity is documented in the early sixteenth century. The work presents an allegorical personification of Charity, positioned centrally and surrounded by three infants. It is part of the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, where it remains on display.
Subject & Meaning
The central female figure embodies the Christian virtue of charity, a motherly archetype offering care to children. One infant rests on her lap, clutching a candle that may symbolize the light of generosity; another leans against her right leg, while a third lies asleep on the floor, reinforcing themes of nurture, protection, and the transmission of moral values.
Technique & Style
Ghetti employs a balanced composition typical of the High Renaissance, using a limited palette of rich reds, blues, and earthy tones to highlight the figure against a modest landscape. The drapery is rendered with soft modelling, and the delicate handling of light on the children's skin suggests a careful observation of naturalistic detail.
History & Provenance
Little documentary evidence survives concerning Ghetti’s career, aside from his death in 1536. The painting entered the Statens Museum for Kunst collection in the early twentieth century, though the precise acquisition path remains unclear. Recent scholarship has begun to attribute a broader range of works to Ghetti, situating *Caritas* within his emerging oeuvre.
Context
In the early sixteenth century, allegorical representations of virtues were common in Florentine art, serving both devotional and didactic purposes. Ghetti’s *Caritas* reflects this tradition, aligning with contemporary visual conventions that linked moral concepts to domestic scenes, thereby making abstract ideals accessible to viewers through familiar, intimate imagery.
Artist & collection
Artist
Bartolomeo (or Baccio) di Zanobi Ghetti (died 1536) was a Florentine Renaissance painter who has only recently emerged from obscurity as a result of art historical research.
The Virgin Nursing the Child with Saint John the Baptist in Adoration attributed to Giampietrino
The Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist
The Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist and Angels
The Virgin and Child
The Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist
The Virgin with the Sleeping Child
Maria cu Iisus si Sfântul Ioan
Virgin and Child with St. John
Madonna and Child
Bridgewater Madonna
The Virgin and Child with Saint John
Caritas (Charity)