St. Roch Visits the Plague-Stricken

Jacopo Bassano (Jacopo Da Ponte)

Download hi-res image TITLE St. Roch Visits the Plague-Stricken
AUTHOR Jacopo Bassano (Jacopo Da Ponte)
DATE c. 1575
OBJECT TYPE AND MATERIAL Oil on canvas
DIMENSIONS cm 350 x 210
INVENTORY 133
ROOM IX
Work on display

Painted as an ex-voto (offering) to mark deliverance from the plague raging in Vicenza in 1575, this work celebrates the saint renowned for his protection against epidemics. He is depicted in accordance with tradition, in a pilgrim’s garb with a cloak, a broadbrimmed hat, a staff and a shell, as he succours the plague-stricken crowd around him. The painting testifies to Bassano’s subscription to the mature style of Titian and Tintoretto, while the buildings in the background echo the architecture of Palladio.