Roman Charity
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
58 1/8 × 54 1/8 in. (147.6 × 137.5 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Wrightsman Fund, 2020
Accession Number
2020.320
Art Historical Context
**Roman Charity** (1622) by Hendrick ter Brugghen captures a poignant moment from ancient Roman legend, as recounted by Valerius Maximus. The painting depicts Pero tenderly breastfeeding her imprisoned father, Cimon, to sustain him during his sentence for murder. This act of filial piety, known as *caritas romana*, symbolized supreme devotion and mercy in classical lore, resonating deeply in 17th-century Europe as a moral exemplar. Ter Brugghen, a key figure among the Utrecht Caravaggisti—Dutch artists inspired by Caravaggio's dramatic realism—employs tenebrism, the stark contrast of light an...