Caritas

Salviati painted this monumental personification of the first theological virtue shortly after his return from Rome to Florence. The young woman, gently drawing the children towards her, embodies God's love for mankind. This work, probably commissioned by the successful merchant and art connoisseur Cristofano Bernardo Rinieri, shows the characteristic features of Salviati's maniera: his profound examination of works from antiquity, a close proximity
to Michelangelo's figurative inventions and echoes of Parmigianino's stylistic singularities.