Allegory on patience during the period of war
From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
Political allegory on patience during the Eighty Years' War, ca. 1577. The female personification of Patience (Patientia), depicted as a naked woman, is chained to a tree. An owl and a bat fly near her head. Before her on the ground lies an open gospel, referring to the comfort she finds in faith. The personification of Discord (Discordia) lies at her feet; she has Time at her side (symbolized by the hourglass in her hands). Scenes of murder and robbery surround her. On the right, a woman with a child is attacked by two soldiers. On the left, two dead children and a lamb, a third child is attacked by a lion. In the background, on the other bank of the river, a burning city. In the upper right of the sky, the tetragram as a symbol of God the Father. In the margin, a six-line poem in Dutch, Latin, and French.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own description