Patience in Adversity

In the foreground on the left, the personification Patience (Patientia), surrounded by weaponry. She holds the cross and the Lamb of God sits on her lap. Next to her lies a bible. She has her eyes directed to heaven, towards the tetragram of God. On the right in the foreground, Poverty (Paupertas). He is missing a foot and is dressed as a beggar and chases away mischievous boys with his staff. In the background, the horrors of the Eighty Years' War. On the left, the Spanish Fury of 1576, when Antwerp was plundered by Spanish soldiers and the town hall was set on fire. On the right, the robberies by Spanish troops on the Brabant countryside. The image can be interpreted as a request to remain steadfast in the (Protestant) faith and patiently wait out the time, despite the setbacks and the poverty that the war brings. The print has an inscription in Dutch, Latin and French in verses. The verses condemn poverty and exhort diligence and labor.