Charity seated nursing an infant, another sleeping on her lap and a third talking to her, after Reni 1793

This print after Guido Reni embodies ‘Charity’ through the powerful symbol of a nursing mother surrounded by children, a classical trope that signifies love, nurture, and abundance. This imagery, resonating with the ancient Roman Caritas, appears across centuries. We see echoes in medieval Madonnas and Renaissance depictions of maternal love. This nurturing mother mirrors the "Alma Mater", the nourishing mother figure of the Earth, tracing back to ancient fertility goddesses. The act of breastfeeding, a primal and universal image, taps into our collective subconscious. It evokes feelings of security, warmth, and unconditional love, a deeply rooted emotional connection that transcends time. The enduring power of this motif lies in its ability to stir fundamental human emotions, linking us to shared ancestral experiences. The cyclical reappearance of this symbol reveals its timeless significance, continually reshaped by cultural contexts, yet always retaining its core message of life-giving love.