''The Seven Works of Mercy'' ( it, Sette opere di Misericordia), also known as ''The Seven Acts of Mercy'', is an oil painting by

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

painter

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of h ...

, circa 1607. The painting depicts the seven corporal works of mercy in traditional Catholic belief, which are a set of compassionate acts concerning the material needs of others. The painting was made for, and is still housed in, the church of

Pio Monte della Misericordia The Pio Monte della Misericordia is a church in the historic center of Naples, southern Italy. It is famous for its art works, including Caravaggio's ''The Seven Works of Mercy''. A charity brotherhood (''Pio Monte della Misericordia'' meaning ...

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...

. Originally, it was meant to be seven separate panels around the church; however, Caravaggio combined all seven works of mercy in one composition which became the church's

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting ...

. The painting is better seen from "il coretto" (the little choir) in the first floor.

Iconography

The titular seven works/acts of mercy are represented in the painting as follows: ;Bury the dead :In the background, two men carry a dead man (of whom only the feet are visible). ;Visit the imprisoned, and feed the hungry :On the right, a woman visits an imprisoned deputy and gives him milk from her breast. This image alludes to the classical story of

Roman Charity Roman Charity ( la, Caritas romana; it, Carità Romana) is the Exemplum, exemplary story of a woman, Pero, who secretly breastfeeding, breastfeeds her father, Cimon, after he is incarcerated and sentenced to death by starvation. History The s ...

. ;Shelter the homeless :A pilgrim (third from left, as identified by the shell in his hat) asks an innkeeper (at far left) for shelter. ;Clothe the naked :

St. Martin of Tours Martin of Tours ( la, Sanctus Martinus Turonensis; 316/336 – 8 November 397), also known as Martin the Merciful, was the third bishop of Tours. He has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints in France, heralded as the ...

, fourth from the left, has torn his robe in half and given it to the naked beggar in the foreground, recalling the saint's popular legend. ;Visit the sick :St. Martin greets and comforts the beggar who is a cripple. ;Refresh the thirsty :

Samson Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...

(second from the left) drinks water from the jawbone of an ass.

Interpretation

American art historian

John Spike John Thomas Spike (born November 8, 1951, in New York City) is an American art historian, curator, and author, specializing in the Italian Renaissance and Baroque periods. He is also a contemporary art critic and past director of the Florence Bien ...

notes that the angel at the center of Caravaggio's altarpiece transmits the

grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninc ...

that inspires humanity to be merciful. Spike also notes that the choice of Samson as an emblem of Giving Drink to the Thirsty is so peculiar as to demand some explanation. The fearsome scourge of the Philistines was a deeply flawed man who accomplished his heroic tasks through the grace of God. When Samson was in danger of dying of thirst, God gave him water to drink from the jawbone of an ass. It is difficult to square this miracle with an allegory of the Seven Acts of Mercy since it was not in fact the work of human charity. Regarding the sharp contrasts of the painting's

chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...

, the German art historian

Ralf van Bühren Ralf van Bühren (born 3 February 1962) is a German art historian, architectural historian, church historian, and theologian, who teaches at the Pontifical University of Santa Croce in Rome. His art history lectures are open to students of US un ...

explains the bright light as a metaphor for

mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, relig ...

, which "helps the audience to explore mercy in their own lives". Current scholarship has also established the connection between the iconography of "The Seven Works of Mercy" and the cultural, scientific and philosophical circles of the painting's

commissioners A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

Legacy

The Seven Works of Mercy was adapted for the theatre in 2016 by the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

. Written by Anders Lustgarten, ''The Seven Acts of Mercy'' was directed by

Erica Whyman Erica Whyman, OBE (born 27 October 1969) is an English theatre director who became deputy artistic director at the Royal Shakespeare Company in January 2013. Background Whyman was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire, but lived in Barnsley until aged ei ...

, the Deputy Artistic Director at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Terence Ward created a biographical thriller of the painting, along with a story of how the painting continues to affect lives today, with his book ''The Guardian of Mercy: How an Extraordinary Painting by Caravaggio Changed an Ordinary Life Today'', released by

Arcade Publishing Arcade Publishing is an independent trade publishing company that started in 1988 in New York, USA. It publishes American and world fiction and nonfiction. The company was started and run by Richard Seaver and his wife Jeannette.Weber, Bruce (J ...

in 2016. Irish poet, Catherine Ann Cullen, wrote seven poems on the painting, which were published in ''The Other Now'', published in 2016.

Notes

References

,
Caravaggio’s ‘Seven Works of Mercy’ in Naples. The relevance of art history to cultural journalism
', in ''Church, Communication and Culture'' 2 (2017), pp. 63-87 * Alessandro Giardino,
The Seven Works of Mercy. Love between Astrology and Natural Generosity in the Naples of Tommaso Campanella
', in ''Aries'' 17-2 (2017), pp. 149–70 *

, ''Caravaggio'', with the assistance of Michèle Kahn Spike (including CD-ROM with Catalogue Raisonné), New York: Abbeville Press 2001 (2nd, revised edition 2010) - *

, ''Die Werke der Barmherzigkeit in der Kunst des 12.–18. Jahrhunderts. Zum Wandel eines Bildmotivs vor dem Hintergrund neuzeitlicher Rhetorikrezeption'' (Studien zur Kunstgeschichte, vol. 115), Hildesheim / Zürich / New York: Verlag Georg Olms 1998 -

External links