Modesty - a bozzetto

This bozzetto is for one of the spandrels in the church of SS. Apostoli in Naples. The subject, traditionally identified as the Madonna untying her girdle, is in fact a personification of Modesty, one of the seven heavenly virtues that protect against temptation from the seven deadly sins. Modesty is part of Humility and is described by Ripa as 'una giovinetta, che tenga nella destra mano uno scettro, in cima del quale vi sia un'occhio, vestasi di bianco, & cingasi con una cinta d'oro, stia con il capo chino, senza ciuffo, & sen'altro ornamento di testa' (C. Ripa, Iconologia, ed. P. Buscaroli, Milan, 2002, pp. 291-2).