| The Seven Works of Mercy | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Caravaggio |
| Year | 1607 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 390 cm × 260 cm (150 in × 100 in) |
| Location | Pio Monte della Misericordia, Naples |
The Seven Works of Mercy (Italian: Sette opere di Misericordia), also known as The Seven Acts of Mercy, is an oil painting by Italian painter Caravaggio, 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.
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The painting was made for, and is still housed in, the church of Pio Monte della Misericordia in Naples. 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. The painting is better seen from 'il coretto' (the little choir) in the first floor.
Iconography[edit]
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.
- 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, 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 (second from the left) drinks water from the jawbone of an ass.
Interpretation[edit]
American art historian John Spike notes that the angel at the center of Caravaggio's altarpiece transmits the grace 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.
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Regarding the sharp contrasts of the painting's chiaroscuro, the German art historian Ralf van Bühren explains the bright light as a metaphor for mercy, which 'helps the audience to explore mercy in their own lives'.[1] 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.[2]
Adaptations[edit]
The Seven Works of Mercy was adapted for the theatre in 2016 by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Written by Anders Lustgarten, The Seven Acts of Mercy was directed by Erica Whyman, the Deputy Artistic Director at the Royal Shakespeare Company.[3]
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 in 2016.[4]
Notes[edit]
- ^Bühren, Caravaggio’s ‘Seven Works of Mercy’ in Naples, 2017, pp. 79-80.
- ^Giardino, Alessandro (2017). 'The Seven Works of Mercy'. Aries. 17 (2): 149–170. doi:10.1163/15700593-01600100.
- ^'About the play | the Seven Acts of Mercy | Royal Shakespeare Company'.
- ^https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/arcade-publishing/9781628728187/the-guardian-of-mercy/
References[edit]
- Ralf van Bühren, 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
- John Spike, Caravaggio, with the assistance of Michèle Kahn Spike (including CD-ROM with Catalogue Raisonné), New York: Abbeville Press 2001 (2nd, revised edition 2010) - ISBN978-0-7892-0639-8
- Ralf van Bühren, 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 - ISBN3-487-10319-2
See also[edit]
12Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”…
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness.
Psalm 96:8
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering and enter His courts.
Isaiah 48:11
For My own sake, My very own sake, I will act; for how can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another.
Ezekiel 36:22
Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake that I will act, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations to which you went.
Corporal Act Of Mercy
Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for your mercy, and for your truth's sake.
A.
2 Chronicles 20:1
It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
unto us
115: An Act Of Mercy Summary
Psalm 74:22
Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.
Psalm 79:9,10
Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake…
Joshua 7:9
For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?
for thy mercy
Psalm 61:7
He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.
Psalm 89:1,2
Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations…
Micah 7:20
Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.