The City Maiden of Antwerp Surrounded by Allegorical Representations

The city maiden of Antwerp, seated on a throne, holding a caduceus in one hand and an image of the goddess Victoria in the other. Four putti with the attributes of the four cardinal virtues—prudence, justice, temperance, and strength—hold up the curtains of the canopy. Around the throne, putti read books, practice the arts, measure a globe with a compass, and write numbers. They symbolize the positive impact of the city of Antwerp on the arts, sciences, and trade. In the frame, putti practice various crafts and skills related to the architecture of military attack and defense works and mathematics. Below the representation of the city maiden of Antwerp, a text in Latin about the fortifications of the city of Antwerp, which were renewed by Jan Antoon Tucher. The Jesuit and mathematics professor Joannes Ciermans was the chairman of the project.