Artwork
Fortitude
Fortitude is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Marcantonio Raimondi. It dates from 1520 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1520, *Fortitude* is an engraving by the Italian printmaker Marcantonio Raimondi. Executed in black ink on paper, the image presents a solitary female figure positioned within a shallow niche, holding a stone in one hand and a column in the other. The composition is framed by a minimal background, marked only by a faint suggestion of a curtain at the right edge.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure embodies the allegorical virtue of fortitude. She stands calmly, her posture and expression conveying readiness and inner strength. The stone and column function as symbolic attributes, traditionally associated with endurance and steadfastness, reinforcing the moral message conveyed through the serene yet resolute pose.
Technique & Style
Raimondi employs the fine parallel hatching characteristic of early 16th‑century engraving to model form and suggest volume. The delicate cross‑hatching creates subtle gradations of shadow on the draped tunic and exposed shoulder, while the crisp line work defines the architectural niche. The overall style reflects the clarity and balanced composition typical of High Renaissance drawing.
History & Provenance
Marcantonio Raimondi, a leading figure in reproductive printmaking, produced *Fortitude* during his mature period after years of collaboration with Raphael. Through such prints, Raimondi helped disseminate Raphael’s visual language across Europe. The work later entered several private collections before being acquired by its present institution in the early 20th century.
Context
The engraving belongs to a broader series of virtues that Raimondi rendered for a patron interested in moral exempla. Produced at a time when prints were increasingly used to circulate artistic ideas, the image illustrates how the medium could convey complex allegorical content alongside the aesthetic principles of the High Renaissance.
Artist & collection
Artist
Marcantonio Raimondi, often called simply Marcantonio (c. 1470/82 – c. 1534), was an Italian engraver, known for being the first important printmaker whose body of work consists largely of prints copying paintings. He…
