Meekness

In the years 1644 and 1645, following a period of training and collaboration with Simon Vouet, Eustache Le Sueur established himself as an independent master, receiving important ecclesiastical commissions and also decorating the hôtels, or townhouses, of wealthy Parisians, including the Hôtel Lambert. For the chapel in the Paris townhouses of Guillaume Brissonnet, Le Sueur painted the eight Beatitudes (including this personification of Meekness), as well as an altarpiece of the Annunciation, monochrome scenes of the life of the Virgin, and a ceiling depicting the Assumption of the Virgin. The Beatitudes, with their patterned gold ground, lined the lower story of this elegant ensemble. Only the Annunciation altarpiece and two of the Beatitudes survive. Here the personification of Meekness, appropriately accompanied by a lamb, embodies Christ’s saying in the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

Beautiful, isn't it?

P.S. If you like it, I bet you will appreciate Roman mosaics; here are some of the best ones!