Saint Rosalie Interceding for the Plague-stricken of Palermo
1624
Van Dyck captures a moment of divine desperation in this swirling Baroque masterpiece. Saint Rosalie, the patron saint of Palermo, gazes upward toward a beam of heavenly light, her brown robes billowing as a chaotic squad of chubby cherubs tugs at her clothes and floats on clouds. Notice the putto clutching a skull at the bottom left—a grim reminder of the plague ravaging the city when this was painted in 1624. It's a dramatic plea for help, mixing the sweetness of angels with the heavy reality of death.
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