The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, Domenico Fetti (c.1618–1628)

The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, Domenico Fetti (c.1618–1628)

Domenico Fetti’s The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man transforms a biblical warning into a vivid moral drama. Inspired by Luke 16:19–31, the scene contrasts two worlds: the opulence of the rich man, surrounded by abundance and ease, and the suffering of Lazarus, a beggar left to languish at his gate. Fetti’s skillful use of light and composition draws the viewer’s eye between these earthly disparities and their eternal consequences—Lazarus comforted in the afterlife, the rich man condemned to torment.

A leading figure of the Italian Baroque, Fetti was celebrated for his ability to fuse theatrical realism with spiritual allegory. Here, he distills the parable’s central lesson: that wealth without compassion leads to ruin, and that the measure of a life is found not in possessions, but in mercy. Both timely and timeless, the work speaks as urgently today as it did in the 17th century.

Cotton and polyester canvas on Radiata pine wood frame sourced from renewable forests. Includes back mounting.