Events

When a 25-year-old Anthony van Dyck visited Palermo during his transformative sojourn in Italy (1621-27), he got more than he had bargained for. As had been his habit in places such as Genoa, the socially savvy painter won contracts for portraits and private devotional pictures from the local nobility. But this was no ordinary visit. In May 1624, mere weeks after his arrival to paint the Spanish viceroy, Emanuele Filiberto (1588-1624), the city's most disastrous plague struck. It ultimately claimed 10,000 lives - including that of Filiberto. Terrifying as it was for the artist, van Dyck's involuntary quarantine was a boon for the history of art.  He used that time to create a series of paintings which transformed Saint Rosalie into Palermo’s main patron saint. In this docent-led talk, we will examine those paintings and some of his portraits to see what they can tell us about the power of painted imagery to comfort, and to reflect the times.