Feeding the Hungry, from The Seven Acts of Mercy
1534
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image/sheet, platemark not visible: 5.5 × 5.4 cm (2 3/16 × 2 3/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
77492
Art Historical Context
"Feeding the Hungry" is a delicate engraving by Georg Pencz, a leading German artist of the Northern Renaissance, created in 1534 as part of his series *The Seven Acts of Mercy*. These works draw from the Christian tradition of the corporal works of mercy—acts of charity like feeding the poor—rooted in biblical teachings, such as Matthew 25 Produced during the early Reformation era in Nuremberg, Pencz's prints reflected a time when religious imagery was both devotional and debated, serving as accessible moral guides for the faithful. Pencz, one of the "Little Masters" celebrated for their vir...
About the Artist
Georg Pencz · 1490–1550
Comment on works: Religious; History; Portraits