Saint Roch at right distributing alms to a group of people gathered around him, after Annibale Caracci 1595 - 1640

This engraving depicts Saint Roch distributing alms, and was made by an anonymous artist after Annibale Caracci. The print illustrates the stark socio-economic disparities of the time, where acts of charity were often the only recourse for the poor and sick. Saint Roch himself was known for his devotion to the plague-stricken. He renounced his noble status to minister to the infected, eventually contracting the disease himself. Note how the bodies are rendered with great detail. The artist depicts a range of reactions, from desperate reaching to quiet suffering. The emotional weight of the scene is palpable, reflecting the personal and communal trauma of disease and poverty. Consider how the act of distributing alms is framed within a larger narrative of social responsibility and religious devotion. The print encourages reflection on the role of compassion in addressing societal inequities.