An Allegory of Virtue (unfinished)

An Allegory of Virtue, one of four allegorical paintings made for Federico Gonzaga, demonstrates Correggio's mastery of mythological and allegorical subjects alongside his religious work. These paintings were among the most ambitious mythological commissions in Italian Renaissance art, requiring him to combine the formal invention of allegorical representation with the sensuous figural quality that distinguished his devotional works. The allegory of Virtue — typically contrasted with its companion piece on Vice — allowed him to display his command of the ideal female figure and his characteristic atmospheric light in a secular context that demonstrated his range beyond the religious subjects that formed the majority of his output.

The unfinished state shows Correggio's layered technique, with areas at different stages of completion. The visible underpainting and initial glazes reveal the systematic approach behind his characteristically soft, finished surfaces.