Abraham Bosse. The Wise and Foolish Virgins, plate five. 1635. France. Engraving and etching on ivory laid paper Abraham Bosse’s Wise and Foolish Virgins is a sincere evocation of the joys of domesticity. These dutiful and industrious women embody the wisdom of moderation by staying indoors while their wilder, foolish counterparts run amok outside. In the New Testament parable that Bosse updates, it is only the wise virgins who are invited to a wedding feast (and by implication, into heaven), while the foolish ones are left outside in the graceless cold.

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