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Original fileThe Three Graces: Wisdom, 1713
De drie Vredebevalligheden De Wijsheid, 1713 De III. Vrede Bevalligheden Eerste Bevalligheid Les trois Charmes de la Paix Premier Charme (titel op object) Platen over de Vrede van Utrecht van 1713 '
after Hendrick Goltzius
About This Work
A muscular, monumental figure of Minerva dominates the frame, dressed in classical armor and a feathered helmet. Below her, a miniature scene depicts soldiers in battle, while a celestial chariot ascends in the distance. The print is framed in an oval and includes extensive Dutch and French verses celebrating wisdom as the foundation of peace.
This allegory illustrates the Neoplatonic and humanist concept of Sapientia (Wisdom) as the governing principle necessary to end the chaos of war. Although used here to commemorate the Peace of Utrecht (1713), the figure reflects the complex mannerist iconographies of Hendrick Goltzius, where classical deities represented the intellectual and spiritual virtues required for social and personal harmony.