Personificatie van de Moed, Sterkte, Standvastigheid Fortitudo. NL-HlmNHA 1477 53010746

The figure of Fortitude is shown as a powerful woman wearing an ornate helmet, calmly supporting a heavy Corinthian column upon her shoulder. This act of carrying the heavy architectural element represents spiritual and moral endurance. In the background, crumbling ruins contrast with her steady posture, emphasizing the ability of the virtuous soul to withstand the decay of the material world.

As one of the four cardinal virtues, Fortitude was a central pillar of Renaissance moral philosophy, blending Christian ethics with the revived Stoic emphasis on 'constantia' (constancy). The use of the column as an attribute aligns with the iconographic standards of the period, symbolizing the strength that supports both the church and the individual soul against adversity.