Anthony van Dyck, 'Charity', about 1627-8

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul outlines the importance of faith, hope and charity, naming charity as the greatest of the three. At the time this picture was painted, charity meant combining the love of god with love of one’s neighbour. From the sixteenth century onward, charity was often represented as a woman, shown breastfeeding a child or children; Van Dyck instead shows three infants clinging to his allegorical figure. She is celestial Charity and her upward glance links her to heaven – the source of her strength as she struggles to fulfil others‘ needs. The three children probably represent Faith, Hope and Love, all of whom need Charity to pave their way to heaven.

In response to the Protestant Reformation there was a resurgence of Catholicism, known as the Counter-Reformation. There was a renewed focus on devotional life and on cultivating a personal relationship with Christ. Added to this was a growth of mysticism and a widespread cult of the Virgin Mary. Here, Charity is clothed in white, symbolising purity. The deep blue cloak billowing behind her is painted in shades of ultramarine, the colour traditionally associated with the Virgin. The radiant blue and the earthy red colour of the satin fabric over Charity’s knees perhaps represent the sought-after link between earth and heaven.

Van Dyck painted the picture shortly after his return from a long stay in Venice, where he came under the influence of his contemporary Guido Reni and the great Renaissance artist Titian. The rich colours of Titian are evident in the lustrous drapery, although it’s thought that they have changed over time and were once a little more subdued. From Reni, Van Dyck has taken the device of the upward glance towards heaven. Two of Reni’s paintings using this device are in the National Gallery’s collection. In Saint Mary Magdalene, it’s the glance of a penitent longing for heavenly forgiveness; in The Rape of Europa, the nymph may look for a rescuer, though the small Cupid aiming his arrow at her heart suggests that she will no longer want to escape.

Unusually, Van Dyck painted the image on an oak panel; most of his pictures – especially portraits – were painted on canvas. The wooden support enabled him to paint fluently, particularly on the strong modelling of the infants’ rounded forms and the folds of the white drapery. These were blended from the light to the shadows leaving almost no brushmarks, achieving a surface as smooth and luminous as enamel. This finish may well have been at the request of the person who commissioned the work.

The painting was engraved by Cornelis van Caukercken shortly after Van Dyck’s death. It was widely disseminated, perhaps helping to account for the great popularity of the image at the time.