Faith, Hope and Charity
- Artist: Pietro da Cortona
- Date: c. 1640
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The Courtauld Gallery
- Collection record: The Courtauld Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the *Faith, Hope and Charity* by Pietro da Cortona. The canvas, painted around 1640, shows three women standing together, each embodying a core Christian virtue. The figure in red, cradling children, is Charity—her warmth literally reflected in the color and the tender gesture. The woman in blue is Faith, serene and confident, suggesting trust in a higher promise. On the far right, the anchor held by the third woman is a classic emblem of Hope, pointing skyward as if to remind us that perseverance yields promise.
Cortona, whose full name is Pietro Berrettini, was the leading painter in 17th‑century Rome and hailed from the heart of Italy. He decorated many churches and palaces, leaving an unmistakable baroque flair. In this work he repurposed two figures from an earlier, larger Old Testament scene—a clever re‑interpretation that shifted their narrative role from biblical narrative to allegorical virtue. By adding the third figure—Hope—he completed a triad that resonates with both theological and artistic depth.
The painting is rendered in oil on canvas, a medium Cortona mastered to create luminous drapery and expressive faces. The composition balances color, symbolism, and narrative, offering a visual sermon that has captivated viewers for centuries.
See it in person
Faith, Hope and Charity hangs in The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House, London. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
