Ware liefdadigheid volgt de leer van Christus - Dirck Volckertsz. Coornhert

An allegorical engraving by Dirck Volckertsz. Coornhert after a design by Maarten van Heemskerck, depicting the personification of Charity.

This engraving, titled 'Ware liefdadigheid volgt de leer van Christus' (True Charity Follows the Doctrine of Christ), is a work associated with the Dutch humanist and engraver Dirck Volckertsz. Coornhert. The composition draws upon the design of Maarten van Heemskerck, as indicated by the 'Heemskerck Inventor' signature present in the lower left corner. The print depicts an allegorical figure of Charity, seated amidst clouds, surrounded by three putti. She holds two chalices, each containing what appear to be hearts, symbolising the offering of love and devotion. The figures are rendered with the muscularity and dramatic drapery characteristic of the Mannerist influence prevalent in the mid-sixteenth-century Netherlands.

The Latin inscription at the base, 'In charitate vero Christi doctrina cernitur', translates to the title provided, reinforcing the moralising intent of the image. The engraving technique employs varied hatching to define the contours of the figures and the volume of the drapery, creating a sense of three-dimensional form against a relatively sparse background. The interaction between the central figure and the children is balanced, with the putti positioned to guide the viewer's eye across the scene. This work reflects the intellectual climate of the period, where classical allegorical forms were adapted to convey Christian virtues and humanist philosophy. The print serves as an example of the collaborative nature of print production during this era, where the roles of designer and engraver were often distinct, yet integrated to produce works for a wider audience of collectors and scholars interested in moral and religious iconography.