Artwork

Forteza (from the Tarocchi, series B: Cosmic Principles & Virtues, #36)

Forteza (from the Tarocchi, series B: Cosmic Principles & Virtues, #36) is a print by the Renaissance artist Master of the E-Series Tarocchi. It dates from 1467 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Forteza, numbered 36 in the Tarocchi series B, is an engraved print that personifies the virtue of Fortitude.

About this work

You can learn more about this style by looking at the work of the artist Master of the E-Series Tarocchi.

This painting shows a full-length female figure representing Fortitude.
She's dressed in armor and holds a broken column.
The figure is one of the virtues in a series of engravings.

The series includes other virtues like Faith and Justice.
These virtues were important principles for a good life in the 15th century.
The engravings were likely used to teach people about these values.

You can learn more about this style by looking at the work of the artist Master of the E-Series Tarocchi.

Overview

Forteza, numbered 36 in the Tarocchi series B, is an engraved print that personifies the virtue of Fortitude. It belongs to a larger collection titled Cosmic Principles & Virtues, which pairs three universal concepts—Light, Time, Space—with the three theological virtues and the four cardinal virtues, reflecting the moral framework of the 15th‑century Christian worldview.

Subject & Meaning

The image presents a full‑length female figure standing in profile, clad in lion‑skin headgear and a cuirass fashioned after a lion’s hide. In her left hand she grasps a broken column, a visual allusion to the biblical story of Samson, whose strength was demonstrated through the collapse of a structure. The accompanying lion reinforces the association of Fortitude with animal strength and courage.

Technique & Style

Executed as an engraving, the work displays the fine line work characteristic of the Master of the E‑Series Tarocchi. The artist employs cross‑hatching to model the armor and the texture of the lion’s skin, while the background remains largely plain, focusing attention on the allegorical figure and her symbolic attributes.

Context

Within the Tarocchi series, each virtue served an instructional purpose, illustrating the qualities deemed essential for a virtuous life in the late medieval period. The prints were likely circulated as didactic tools, reinforcing moral instruction through visual allegory, and they continue to inform contemporary understandings of how virtues were visually codified in early print culture.