The Seven Acts of Mercy

Caravaggio's painting, The Seven Acts of Mercy, is a large, dark, and crowded composition created around 1606-1607. It depicts various charitable deeds, such as burying the dead and clothing the naked, within a scene that evokes the bustling and gritty atmosphere of Naples. This work is one of Caravaggio's most impressive altarpieces, commissioned by the confraternity of the Pio Monte della Misericordia, an organization dedicated to aiding the poor and sick. The painting exemplifies the Christian duty of performing the seven corporal works of mercy, a theme rooted in religious teachings.12