Allegory of Love, III: Respect

In the 1570s, Veronese did not confine his attention to religious subjects. He was also intensively active in the field of profane painting, often with an erotic content. The series of the so-called Allegories of Love in the National Gallery in London belongs to the latter group. The four painting, which were probably originally intended to decorate the ceiling of a single room, were in the eighteenth century entitled Infidelity, Disillusionment, Respect, and Happy Union. However, since then the paintings have been given differing interpretations. The most widely accepted hypothesis is that they represent the sorrows and pleasures of love in contrasting pairs - joy and disenchantment, faithfulness and unfaithfulness.