Artwork
Copy of Annibale Carracci's St. Roch Giving Alms
Copy of Annibale Carracci's St. Roch Giving Alms is a drawing by the Renaissance artist Annibale Carracci. It dates from 1595 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Executed in pen and wash, it presents a densely populated interior scene framed by arches.
The work is a 1595 drawing that reproduces Annibale Carracci’s composition St. Roch Giving Alms. Executed in pen and wash, it presents a densely populated interior scene framed by arches. Central to the picture is a figure on a raised platform distributing alms to a kneeling woman, while a crowd of standing, seated and recumbent figures observes the act. The drawing belongs to the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
The image illustrates the charitable episode of Saint Roch, a 14th‑century pilgrim saint famed for aiding the sick and poor. By showing the saint’s hand extended toward a supplicant amid a bustling crowd, the composition emphasizes themes of compassion and communal responsibility, inviting viewers to contemplate the moral virtue of almsgiving.
Technique & Style
Rendered with rapid, gestural lines, the drawing conveys a sense of immediacy and movement. Light is suggested from the upper right, creating a subtle chiaroscuro that highlights faces while casting others in shadow. The figures appear loosely modeled, their simple garments and expressive faces contributing to a lively, narrative-driven visual language characteristic of early Baroque experimentation.
History & Provenance
Created as a copy of Carracci’s original painting, the drawing reflects the artist’s practice of disseminating his compositions for study and replication. After passing through private hands, it entered the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it serves as a reference for Carracci’s approach to composition and his role in the transition toward Baroque sensibilities.
Artist & collection
Artist
Annibale Carracci ( kə-RAH-chee, UK also kə-RATCH-ee, Italian: ; November 3, 1560 – July 15, 1609) was an Italian painter and instructor, active in Bologna and later in Rome.
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