Allegorie met een personificatie en Minerva die de Nijd en Bedrog overwinnen 1703 - 1775

Louis Fabritius Dubourg created this red chalk drawing, "Allegory with a Personification and Minerva Overcoming Envy and Deceit," sometime between 1693 and 1775. It's a work that invites us to consider how power, virtue, and morality were visualized in the 18th century. The goddess Minerva, a symbol of wisdom and strategic warfare, stands triumphant, while figures representing envy and deceit are cast down. This classical allegory, drawn with delicate lines, reflects the cultural values of its time, where reason and virtue were upheld as ideals, often in stark opposition to the perceived threats of deceit and moral corruption. The drawing, in its allegorical form, uses gendered figures to represent these abstract concepts. Minerva embodies the strength and wisdom expected of leadership, while Envy and Deceit, often associated with chaos and temptation, are depicted as overcome by her virtuous might. This image prompts us to think about how we continue to depict power, vice, and virtue, and who gets to embody these qualities.