Francesco I d'Este Provides for His People During the Great Plague of 1630, from L'Idea di un Principe ed Eroe Cristiano in Francesco I d'Este, di Modena e Reggio Duca VIII [...]
![Francesco I d'Este Provides for His People During the Great Plague of 1630, from L'Idea di un Principe ed Eroe Cristiano in Francesco I d'Este, di Modena e Reggio Duca VIII [...] by Bartolomeo Fenice (Fénis)|Domenico Gamberti](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/met/dp/thumb/francesco-i-deste-provides-for-his-people-during-427088.webp)
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 4 3/4 × 6 3/8 in. (12.1 × 16.2 cm) Plate: 4 3/4 × 6 1/4 in. (12.1 × 15.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
Accession Number
59.570.331(18)
Tags
Art Historical Context
In this intricate etching from 1659, artists Bartolomeo Fenice Domenico Gamberti capture a heroic moment from the Great Plague of 1630, which ravaged northern Italy. Titled *Francesco I d'Este Provides His People During the Great of 1630*, the print is part of the celebratory series *L'I di un Principe ed E Cristiano in Francesco I dste*, portraying the Duke of Modena and Reggio (r. 1629–1658) as a compassionate Christian ruler. Amid the devastation that killed tens of thousands, Francesco I is shown distributing aid—likely food and supplies via carriages, with cows symbolizing sustenance—in a...
About the Artist
Bartolomeo Fenice (Fénis)|Domenico Gamberti (Italian|Italian) · | – |
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