The Theological Virtues: Faith, Charity, Hope

Each figure is accompanied by an attribute: at the feet of Faith a dog, a common symbol of fidelity; at the feet of Charity a pelican symbolic of Christ's sacrifice; and at the feet of Hope a phoenix, symbolizing Christ's Resurrection. The series of allegorical figures, viewed against a continuous landscape, was probably intended to decorate the back of a spalliere (a high-backed bench or day-bed) or to be set into a wainscoting.