2-983-311 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Sick Child, c.1664-c.1666. A worried mother looks at her young daughter, slumped listlessly on her lap. Metsu chose an unusual subject, since depictions of poorly children are rare in 17th-century art. Perhaps he intended the mother to personify charity, Caritas. Then the picture of the Crucifixion on the wall would be a specific reference to Christ, who died for the love of Man on the Cross.