Envy — from The Vices

This stark print illustrates the allegorical figure of Envy, portrayed as a haggard, wild-haired woman consuming a heart to symbolize the self-destructive nature of the vice. She is rendered with the grotesque aesthetic typical of the Haarlem Mannerist style, featuring exaggerated physical distortion and an intense, unsettling energy. Her form is draped in flowing, tattered cloth, and she is set against a barren landscape that underscores her isolation and malice.

The image reflects the early modern preoccupation with moral psychology and the personification of the seven deadly sins, a tradition deeply embedded in Renaissance humanism and scholastic moral philosophy. Its depiction of the 'heart-eater' draws upon classical literary descriptions of Envy, such as those found in Ovid's Metamorphoses, which were widely read as allegories of the soul's corruption within esoteric and philosophical circles.