Chastity, Obedience, and Poverty

This striking and strange drawing abstracts the human form to inventive and delightful ends. The bold handling, abbreviated mastery of anatomy, and monumentality of the figures all point to Giulio Benso, a gifted Genoese artist and enthusiastic follower of Luca Cambiaso, whose work is exhibited nearby.

The study represents the virtues of chastity, obedience, and poverty. Chastity, on the left, stands upon Cupid, who is lying on the ground, deviously pulling an arrow from his quiver. She holds two of her attributes, a dove and a lily, symbols of her purity. Obedience, seated at the center, grasps the yoke on her shoulder with one hand and balances an open book on her knee with the other. Poverty is shown as a woman lamenting in anguish, leaning against a dead tree.