Extreme Unction, from "The Seven Sacrements"

Art Historical Context

This etching titled *Extreme Unction* captures one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, depicting the solemn administration of last rites to the dying. Created in 1767 by Lorenzo Zucchi after an original composition by the Bolognese painter Giuseppe Maria Crespi, the print belongs to a series reproducing Crespi’s celebrated cycle *The Seven Sacraments*. Crespi, active in the late Baroque period, was known for his sensitive portrayals of everyday religious life, blending dramatic light with intimate human emotion. As an etching, the work demonstrates the medium’s ability to translate painted textures and subtle tonal gradations into fine, reproducible lines. Measuring roughly 17 by 11 inches, the sheet would have allowed viewers beyond the original painting’s location to contemplate the sacrament’s themes of faith, mortality, and consolation. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum in 1949 through the Elisha Whittelsey Fund, the print preserves Crespi’s vision for new generations while highlighting the important role of reproductive prints in 18th-century artistic culture.

About the Artist

Giuseppe Maria Crespi|Lorenzo Zucchi · 1665–1747

Giuseppe Maria Crespi (1665–1747) was an Italian painter of the late Baroque period whose innovative genre scenes and unorthodox approach to religious painting made him one of the most original artists of early eighteenth-century Bologna. Born in Bologna, he trained under Domenico Maria Canuti, Carlo Cignani, and in the tradition of the Carracci academy, but developed a markedly personal style tha...