Allegory of the Catholic Faith

This unusual Vermeer represents an allegory of Catholic faith. The figure is depicted in a theatrical pose. She is loosely based on the symbolic representation of faith from Ripa's "Iconologia" (basic book of all symbols and allegories in art) in which Faith is described as 'a seated lady with her feet resting on Earth'. The masterpiece was most likely commissioned by a Catholic patron. Among the many Christian symbols in this work, the most evident are the bitten apple as a symbol of the first sin in the Garden of Eden and the serpent depicting Satan, crushed by a stone (Christ Himself, the Cornerstone).