Saint Januarius intercedes with the Virgin, Christ, and Eternal Father for the plague

In 1656 a plague tore through Naples and killed something close to half the people in one of the largest cities in Europe. When it lifted, the Spanish viceroy commissioned this canvas as a thank-offering, meant for a church out at Poggioreale where many of the dead had been buried. Luca Giordano was only about 22 when he painted it. He splits the scene between earth and heaven. Below, the plague victims lie heaped and sprawling in shadow. Above, Saint Januarius, the patron of Naples, rises to plead with the Virgin, Christ and God the Father to call the sickness off. He is the saint whose dried blood, kept in a vial in the city's cathedral, Neapolitans still crowd in to watch for the moment it turns to liquid.