Allegory of civic virtues

During the Age of the Enlightenment, intellectuals were guided by the belief that society’s welfare depended on honest and educated people who put the common interest above their personal ambition and success. The period celebrated the Classical world and the civil virtues it upheld, based on integrity and honest work by individuals in all walks of life. The artist was considered an educator, and a fosterer and disseminator of ideas, so the paintings of the period have an instructive and moralising tone. The virtues of a hero who deserves respect and remembrance are extolled in the painting Allegory of civic virtues. It probably glorifies the individual whose bust can be seen on the right of the composition. The Classical gods and demi-gods who endowed him with their qualities are grouped around the sculpture. Clad in a lion’s skin, the mythical Hercules, an embodiment of strength and courage, is on the left, showing that unwavering courage is needed for defending the state. On the right, with a sword and scales in her hands, stands Themis, the goddess of justice and good counsel, for justice is a key virtue, the basis of human coexistence. Next to the monument, with her feet on the Earth, sits Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and protector of the arts, crafts and sciences. A female figure with a flame on her head leans on two large books; she is probably a personification of education and enlightenment. The two main figures are positioned centrally. Attributes symbolising different arts are arranged at their feet: a palette with paintbrushes, a hammer and a chisel, a sheet of paper. This is an expression of the idea that education, science and the arts are prerequisites for civic virtues and human development.

Text author Rūta Janonienė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album MORE THAN JUST BEAUTY (2012). Compiler and author Giedrė Jankevičiūtė, RES PUBLICA (2018). Compiler and author Rūta Janonienė

During the Age of the Enlightenment, intellectuals were guided by the belief that society’s welfare depended on honest and educated people who put the common interest above their personal ambition and success. The period celebrated the Classical world and the civil virtues it upheld, based on integrity and honest work by individuals in all walks of life. The artist was considered an educator, and a fosterer and disseminator of ideas, so the paintings of the period have an instructive and moralising tone. The virtues of a hero who deserves respect and remembrance are extolled in the painting Allegory of civic virtues. It probably glorifies the individual whose bust can be seen on the right of the composition. The Classical gods and demi-gods who endowed him with their qualities are grouped around the sculpture. Clad in a lion’s skin, the mythical Hercules, an embodiment of strength and courage, is on the left, showing that unwavering courage is needed for defending the state. On the right, with a sword and scales in her hands, stands Themis, the goddess of justice and good counsel, for justice is a key virtue, the basis of human coexistence. Next to the monument, with her feet on the Earth, sits Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and protector of the arts, crafts and sciences. A female figure with a flame on her head leans on two large books; she is probably a personification of education and enlightenment. The two main figures are positioned centrally. Attributes symbolising different arts are arranged at their feet: a palette with paintbrushes, a hammer and a chisel, a sheet of paper. This is an expression of the idea that education, science and the arts are prerequisites for civic virtues and human development.

Text author Rūta Janonienė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album MORE THAN JUST BEAUTY (2012). Compiler and author Giedrė Jankevičiūtė, RES PUBLICA (2018). Compiler and author Rūta Janonienė