Allegory of the (Catholic) Faith by Jan Johannes Vermeer. Click to enlarge.
The Allegory of Faith, sometimes also entitled Allegory of the Catholic Faith is a larger painting by the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, having the dimensions 114.3 cm × 88.9 cm; i.e. 45.0 in × 35.0 in. As most of Vermeer’s paintings it is not dated and estimates vary between 1670 and 1672. Just as The Art of Painting, The Allegory of the (Catholic) Faith is as much an allegory as history painting, featuring a complex arrangement of numerous items. The symbolism is mainly based on Cesare Ripa’s »Iconographia«, a book which had been the main source for symbolical representations of meaning all during the Baroque era.
Description
The main subject of the painting is on the virtue of Faith towards Christ (as represented by the painting dominating the background). Faith is depicted as a women dressed in white – which is an allegory for purity and lightness – and blue, a symbol for heaven.
Probably, the pearl necklace underlines her virginity. The right hand on her chest points to the source of her virtue: her heart: The left hand in change, commonly thought of as the »impure« hand, is hold in a position of remarkable inactivity. Vermeer guides the eye of the viewer using gently flowing light – a favorite technique of him – like a spotlight from the face towards the feet of Faith, with whom she holds the world. An attribute of Faith Vermeer depicted in the most literal way possible here.
The apple on the ground is a symbol for sin and seems abandoned. Meanwhile, Christ in the form of a fallen cornerstone has just crushed the origin of sin depicted as snake.
But there are although some deviations when compared to the symbolism as laid down in Ripa’s iconography: The book and the chalice were supposed to be hold in the hands of Faith while neither the painting in the background, nor the cross have been mentioned at Ripa. With these rearrangements Vermeer creates a constellation resembling the Catholic Mass and Eucharist. The stressing of the word Catholic in the title of the painting might have its origin here.
But also Jesuit symbolism has been suggested, namely and most convincing when it comes to the glass orb at the ceiling of the room. The orb contains a little boy with wings, a symbol for the soul of man, holding a sphere in his hand. As we know from the book this picture is taken from (Willem Hesius, Emblemata sacra de fide, spe, charitate) it is Faith enabling the sphere to contain and mirror infinity.
It would lead to far, to associate the black-and white tiled floor with Masonic symbolism. We can reduce it’s role rather on the impressive creation of perspective using neutral colors, which do not distract the attention from the items which are supposed to be accentuated.
It has been stated, that the painting was commissioned. However, it has not been a very popular one for a long time. The complex symbolism made lovers of Vermeer’s realism feeling uncomfortable and after being in possession of several different art dealers and collectors the last one sold it to the Metropolitan Art Museum in New York as he thought it to be large but unpleasant”.
Exposition
The Allegory of Faith was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1931 where is exhibited with the four other Vermeer Paintings: A Girl Asleep, Woman with a Lute, Woman with a Water Jug, Portrait of a Young Woman. Moreover, it should be mentioned here, that the Frick Collection in New York exhibits three more paintings by Johannes Vermeer: Officer with A Laughing Girl, Mistress and Maid and Girl Interrupted at her Music. The painting A Young Woman Seated at the Virginals is likewise held in New York, yet it belongs to a private collection.
