Circular engraving of a veiled seated woman with a serpent at her feet, a tower with a loggia at right, and Latin text around the border.

Allegory of Prudence

A seated woman in a veil and long gown holds a small object in her lap while a serpent coils near her feet, a symbol associated with prudence. A tower with an arched loggia and a distant town rise at right, and Latin inscriptions ring the circular border.

Artist: Hendrick Goltzius
Date: 1580/82
Medium: Engraving on paper
Source: Art Institute of Chicago
Size: 1686 × 1693 px

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Public domain · Art Institute of Chicago releases this image under CC0 (latest date 1582).
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (Art Institute of Chicago, is_public_domain=true)

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Art Institute of Chicago, Charles Hack and the Hearn Family Trust Collection, purchased with funds provided by the Harry B. and Bessie K. Braude Memorial, Amanda S. Johnson and Marion J. Livingston, anonymous, and Suzanne Searle Dixon endowment funds

16th century renaissance 1580s engraving seated woman latin inscription serpent tower veil circular print hendrick goltzius black and white