Fortitude (Strength)

A powerful female figure stands within a stone niche, wearing an ornate helmet and gripping a heavy, fractured marble pillar. She is draped in voluminous, swirling robes that emphasize her physical presence and movement. This engraving is part of a series representing the seven cardinal and theological virtues, using the broken column to symbolize endurance and spiritual strength in the face of collapse.

This work represents the Renaissance synthesis of classical stoicism and Christian morality, where Fortitude is seen as the necessary strength to maintain one's faith and justice. It aligns with the Neo-Stoic movement popularized by Dutch thinkers like Justus Lipsius, who emphasized 'constantia' (constancy) and the endurance of hardship during the political and religious upheavals of the late 16th century.