Feeding the Hungry, Michael Sweerts, 1646 - 1649
oil on canvas, h 75cm × w 99cm More details
In the Catholic Church, the ‘Seven Works of Mercy’ served as a guiding principle for acts of human kindness. They are based on Christ’s teachings, as described in the Gospel of Matthew. Sweerts painted his series of – four of which four pictures are in the Rijksmuseum – while in Rome. His humble street scenes depict the poorest of the poor with penetrating insight.
