ALLEGORY OF FAITH

(Allegorie op het geloof)

c. 1671- 1674
oil on canvas
54 x 35 in.  (114.3 x 88.9 cm.)
The Metropolitn Museum of Art, New York
Bequest of Micheael Friedsam

"The 'Allegory' is not one of Vermeer's most memorable works. The still-life in the foreground may non the less had some influence on the imaginary of his circle. We have two other pictures from the time of the 'Allegory'; in one of them the tapestry hanging, similarly painted, still lies in the same folds. These, the pair of London, are more modest and more characteristic; fortunately they convey more of the character of the painter's thought in this last phase."

Lawrence Gowing, Vermeer, 1950

Allegory of Faith, Johannes Vermeer