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Justice

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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Justice sits between two lions and looks down at her golden scales. The lion of Saint Mark is a symbol of Venice, so she may represent Justice in that city. Her scales weigh right from wrong, and her sword punishes the guilty. Beside her, a golden shield is painted with the coat of arms of the Contarini del Zaffo, an important Venetian family. The picture may have been painted for the Venetian mint, the building in which the Venetian currency was struck and regulated. In its original form, the painting is likely to have been a lunette, or semicircle. It was intended to be displayed high up, perhaps above a door, or to fill some similar arched space. Additional painted canvas has been added to all sides except the lower edge. The varnish has darkened, obscuring many of the original colours.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Justice

Date

about 1559

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 90.2 x W 125.1 cm

Accession number

NG3942

Acquisition method

Mond Bequest, 1924

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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