Saint Vincent de Paul Preaching to the Court of Louis XIII on Behalf of the Abandoned Children 1823

Paul Delaroche's painting shows Saint Vincent de Paul, the 17th-century Catholic priest, using his rhetorical skills to advocate for abandoned children to the court of Louis XIII. The medium of oil paint allows Delaroche to create a contrast between the elaborate garments of the court, and the bare skin and tattered clothes of the children and their mothers. This is a work about social strata, but it is also about the labor required to produce wealth, and the labor of caring for others. The artist’s skillful depiction of the material qualities of the fabrics on display is central to the painting's message. The gowns and robes of the court evoke their financial status, the lace collars and embroidered hems illustrating the labor that produces their privilege. Notice how this contrasts with the babies in the foreground, whose postures remind us of the labor of childbirth and childcare. Ultimately, understanding the painting involves understanding that these forms of work are always in tension with one another.