The Pala della Peste (''Altarpiece of the Bubonic Plague'') or Pallione del Voto is an oil on silk

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

-style altarpiece by

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious ...

depicts the ''Madonna and Child in Glory with the Patron Saints of Bologna: Petronius, Francis, Ignatius, Francis Xavier, Proculus of Bologna, and Florian''.

Description

The altarpiece was painted in 1631–1632 as an ''

ex voto An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or to a divinity; the term is usually restricted to Christian examples. It is given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ''ex voto suscepto'', "from the vow made") or in gratitude o ...

'' after the ebbing of the plague epidemic in 1630 in

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

. The altarpiece was in the past paraded yearly in a formal procession from the Palazzo Pubblico to the church of San Domenico, Bologna. The structure of the painting follows the formal arrangement, exemplified by a late 16th-century canvas by Annibale Carraci in the Pinacoteca of Bologna. The Madonna and child are in the superior portion. The infant blesses with his right hand, while the left hand holds a flowering sprig. Around the couple, cherubim are active draping flowers, holding rosaries and scapulars, and crowning the Virgin with a floral crown. In the scene below, the seven saints implore for Bologna, depicted at the bottom center.

Charles Borromeo Charles Borromeo ( it, Carlo Borromeo; la, Carolus Borromeus; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was the Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584 and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation combat a ...

, recently canonized, at the left was known for his work among the pestilent of Milan. Beside him standing is St Proculus of Bologna, a martyred Roman soldier, holding a sword and palm leaf (symbol of Martyrdom). Across the canvas, the armored St Florian holds a halberd and palm leaf. Kneeling below are: St Petronius with a bishop's mitre at his feet; St Francis in a cassock, and to the right are two Jesuit saints,

Francis Xavier Francis Xavier (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; Latin: ''Franciscus Xaverius''; Basque: ''Frantzisko Xabierkoa''; French: ''François Xavier''; Spanish: ''Francisco Javier''; Portuguese: ''Francisco Xavier''; 7 April 15063 December 1 ...

with the palm leaf pointing to him, and the founder of the order St

Ignatius of Loyola Ignatius of Loyola, Society of Jesus, S.J. (born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; eu, Ignazio Loiolakoa; es, Ignacio de Loyola; la, Ignatius de Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spain, Spanish Catholic ...

. St.

Dominic Dominic is a name common among Roman Catholics and other Latin-Romans as a male given name. Originally from the late Roman-Italic name "Dominicus", its translation means "Lordly", "Belonging to God" or "of the Master". Variations include: Domini ...

kneeling with the lily of purity on the right. The style recalls the earthy coloring of

Ludovico Carracci Ludovico (or Lodovico) Carracci (21 April 1555 – 13 November 1619) was an Italian, early-Baroque painter, etcher, and printmaker born in Bologna. His works are characterized by a strong mood invoked by broad gestures and flickering light th ...

. The work is now in the Pinacoteca of Bologna, which also has a 1616 ex voto Madonna by Reni. The ''Palla delle Peste'' is described by Viardot as "an excellent specimen of the pale coloring which Guido had adopted".''Wonders of Italian Art''
by Louis Viardot, (1875) page 318. Carracci Saint Hyacinth

References

External sources

*Se
Mutual Art
for an in-depth discussion on this painting by Catherine R. Puglisi / ''The Art Bulletin'' (1995). {{DEFAULTSORT:Palla della Peste 1631 paintings 1632 paintings Paintings in the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna Paintings by Guido Reni Paintings of the Madonna and Child Angels in art Paintings of Francis of Assisi Epidemics in art