Patientia (Patience), 1557

About the Work

A crucifix in hand, her gaze directed upwards, Patience appears here as an allegory of the Christian faith, which proves itself through perseverance. Like St Anthony, she resists the world and its temptations. The Church, for its part, is not spared criticism: on a tree at the right, a monk amuses himself with a young woman. At the left, held captive in an egg, is a gigantic scarecrow wearing a cardinal’s hat.