Innocence Prefers Love to Riches

c. 1804

In this allegorical work, a personification of Innocence at center signals her preference for Love, represented as a cupid, over Riches, taking the form of a woman in Grecian robes and offering a chest of golden baubles. Prud’hon complicated this straightforward parable by manipulating the figures’ postures: while Innocence embraces Love, she gazes longingly over her shoulder at Riches, inviting us to wonder about the finality of her decision.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

Pierre Paul Prud'hon (French, 1758–1823)

Date

c. 1804

Medium

Oil on panel

Dimensions

34.3 × 27.2 cm (13 1/2 × 10 9/16 in.); Framed: 44.5 × 37.2 cm (17 1/2 × 14 5/8 in.)

Origin

France

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection