One of Vermeer's most unusual pictures, this large canvas was commissioned by a Catholic, possibly Jesuit, patron. His source derives from a standard handbook of iconography, Cesare Ripa's Iconologia. Vermeer interpreted Ripa's description of Faith with "the world at her feet" literally, showing a Dutch globe published in 1618. The divine world is rendered as a glass sphere reflecting the room. The painting of the Crucifixion on the wall copies a work by Jacob Jordaens. Among the many Christological symbols, the most prominent are the apple, emblem of the first sin, and the serpent (Satan) crushed by a stone (Christ, the "cornerstone" of the Church). Dating about 1670, the work strikes a balance between abstraction and haunting similitude.

Open full-size image