Justice

"Justice," created by the Early Renaissance master Fra Angelico (Guido di Pietro) between 1435 and 1445, is a powerful example of Florentine draftsmanship, providing essential insight into the artist’s preparatory methods. This drawing utilizes pen and rich brown ink combined with a sophisticated brush and brown wash, a technique that allowed the artist to define both precise linear outlines and subtle volumetric shading. A notable technical detail is Angelico's careful use of a darker, stronger brown ink applied specifically to render the blade of the sword, emphasizing this crucial attribute of the allegorical figure.

The subject is a classic personification of Justice, depicted as a resolute woman whose form embodies spiritual and civic authority relevant to the mid-fifteenth century. The composition suggests the cosmological scope of her mandate, potentially integrating the theme of Globes, symbolizing the Earth or the heavens over which divine justice presides.

Angelico, renowned for his serene fresco cycles, particularly those executed at the Convent of San Marco, relied on drawings such as this to conceptualize complex figures and the fall of drapery before undertaking large-scale commissions in paint. This work stands as an invaluable record of the master's graphic style and working process. The drawing is proudly held in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As a significant piece of Italian Renaissance history, high-resolution prints of Justice are frequently available for scholarship and public enjoyment through digitization efforts and public domain collections, ensuring this key example of Angelico’s work remains widely accessible.