This expressive sculpture depicts an old woman with a wrinkled and angry face, with her lips open in a scream, whose sagging breasts are bitten by the snakes entwined in her hair, is the personification of envy ( Invidia ), ie one of seven - next to pride ( Superbia ), anger ( Ira ), sloth ( Acedia ), avarice ( Avaritia ), gluttony ( Gula) and lust ( Luxuria ) - cardinal sins.
The iconography of the seven cardinal sins developed in connection with the theme of virtues. Evil was contrasted with Good, so the characters embodying sins had to be as disgusting as possible. The Cracovian sculpture was associated with the Flemish artist called Giusto Le Court, educated in Antwerp and Amsterdam, and settled permanently in Venice from 1655. The sculpture was probably made around 1670.

Credits:

Dorota Dec (The National Museum in Kraków)This scientific description is available under the license:  CC BY 4.0 Attribution 4.0