The Seven Corporal Works of Mercy 17th Century Whoever the sitter is

Whoever the sitter is

Both paintings

The portrait was acquired by Fairfax Murray at a West family sale and is therefore possibly a family portrait

Margaret Morris (Mannings and Postle

daughter of the Earl of Bedford

The Seven Corporal Works of Mercy 17th Century Whoever the sitter isThis painting seemingly depicts a crowded genre scene in a Dutch village, but there is more to it than meets the eye. The various groups of figures composing the scene symbolically illustrate the seven corporal acts of mercy: to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to give shelter to travellers, to visit the sick, to visit the imprisoned, and to bury the dead. This composition is known in several versions.