| The Victory of Faith | |
|---|---|
|   | |
| Artist | Saint George Hare | 
| Year | 1891 | 
| Medium | Oil on canvas | 
| Dimensions | 123.3 cm× 200 cm(48.5 in× 79 in) | 
| Location | National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne | 
| Accession | 201-2 | 
| Website | www | 
The Victory of Faith is an oil on canvas painting by Irish artist Saint George Hare that was completed in 1891. [a] It is now in the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia. It depicts two sleeping nude women, one shackled, apparently intended as Christian martyrs sentenced to death by beasts. [2]
The Victory of Faith is one of several paintings by Hare showing shackled and under-dressed women, another notable example being The Gilded Cage . A contemporary article in The Homiletic Review called it an "impressive depiction of Christian faith and steadfastness" and described the two women to be in a "sisterly embrace": [3] A modern interpretation by Kobena Mercer named the work as an example of an interracial lesbian couple, likening it to Les Amis by Jules Robert Auguste. [4]
The Victory of Faith was exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition of 1891 [5] and at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. [3] It is currently at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, having been donated to the gallery in 1905. [1]