Artwork
Charity
Charity is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Isidoro Bianchi. It dates from 1601 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1601 by the Lombard painter Isidoro Bianchi, *Charity* is an oil on canvas that exemplifies the early phase of Italian Baroque art. The work is part of the Museo del Prado’s holdings and presents a religious motif through a domestic tableau of a mother and her children.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a semi‑nude woman cradling two sleeping infants, while a third child sits nearby, gazing upward. The tender interaction suggests the theological virtue of charity, portraying maternal love as a model for spiritual generosity within a Christian context.
Technique & Style
Bianchi employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, allowing a soft illumination to fall on the woman's face and arms while the surrounding darkness recedes. This contrast gives the figures a sculptural presence, and the rounded flesh tones convey a sense of tactile realism characteristic of early Baroque painting.
History & Provenance
After its execution in the early seventeenth century, the painting entered the collection of the Museo del Prado, where it remains on display. Its attribution to Bianchi aligns with his activity in Lombardy during the transition from Mannerist to Baroque sensibilities.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Isidoro Bianchi called da Campione (20 July 1581, in Campione d'Italia, Lombardy – 5 December 1662) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period.
