A grand allegorical painting by Jan Lievens, depicting the triumph of Peace through classical figures and symbolic motifs.

Jan Lievens, a contemporary of Rembrandt in Leiden, produced this large-scale allegorical work in 1652. The composition depicts a central female figure representing Peace, who is being crowned with a laurel wreath by Minerva, the goddess of wisdom and war. The scene is populated by various mythological figures and putti, who contribute to the narrative of harmony and prosperity. At the feet of the central figure lies a defeated warrior, symbolising the end of conflict and the triumph of civil order.

Lievens employs a dramatic use of light and shadow, characteristic of the period, to draw the eye toward the central interaction. The palette is composed of deep, earthy tones contrasted with the luminous white of the central figure's gown and the striking red of her mantle. The inclusion of cornucopias and floral elements suggests the bounty that follows the cessation of hostilities. The artist demonstrates his technical proficiency through the varied textures of the armour, the soft skin of the putti, and the heavy folds of the drapery. This work reflects the political climate of the mid-seventeenth century in the Dutch Republic, where the desire for stability and peace was a recurring theme in public and private commissions. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it remains an example of the artist's transition from his early Leiden period to his later, more classicising style developed during his time in Antwerp and The Hague.