Three Luchese saints interceding with the Virgin for the victims of the plague

Art Historical Context

This evocative etching, created around 1630–31 by Pietro Testa in collaboration with Callisto Ferranti, captures a moment of divine intercession during a time of profound crisis. The composition shows three saints from Lucca—likely identifiable by their local attributes—pleading with the Virgin Mary on behalf of plague victims below. Rendered with delicate lines and dramatic contrasts typical of Baroque printmaking, the work conveys both spiritual urgency and human suffering. The timing aligns with the devastating Italian plague of 1629–1631, which ravaged cities across the peninsula and claimed countless lives. Such images served not only as devotional aids but also as communal expressions of hope and remembrance, often distributed widely to offer solace to the afflicted and bereaved. As an etching, the medium allowed for intricate detail and relatively affordable reproduction, making sacred narratives accessible beyond church walls. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection through the Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, this print exemplifies how art bridged faith, public health crises, and artistic innovation in 17th-century Italy.

About the Artist

Pietro Testa|Callisto Ferranti · 1612–1650

Pietro Testa was born in Lucca in 1612 and, in accordance with the conventions of Italian artistic training, made his way to Rome while still young. There he studied under two of the leading painters of the early seventeenth century: Domenichino, from whom he absorbed a taste for classical restraint and narrative clarity, and Pietro da Cortona, whose more exuberant Baroque manner offered a contras...