The Roman charity attributed to Daniel Seiter around 1670

Oil on canvas circa 1670 representing Cimon and Pera, the painting is attributed to the painter Daniel Seiter (Vienna 1647 - Turin 1705)

Dimensions without frame: Length: 141cm Width: 116cm
Dimensions with frame: Length: 157cm Width: 131.5cm

The history of the Roman charity finds its foundations in the Greek mythology when Juno nurses Hercules.
Cimon is condemned to die of hunger by the justice, his daughter not being able to bring him food decides of this stratagem to save her father by offering him her maternal milk.
This scene was taken up again and interpreted during the centuries, let us note in others Caravaggio in 1606 in his work the 7 works of mercy, Pierre Paul Rubens, jean Janssens in the XVIIe century
Daniel Seiter executed several versions all preserved in great collections:

gallery of the national academy of San Luca Rome

- castle of Pommersfelden, summer residence of the empress Sissi, this castle
has one of the most beautiful private collections of paintings, including 5 paintings by Seiter (note a Roman charity).
- Our version was painted in the same period as the two paintings kept in the gallery of the National Academy of San Luca during his stay in Rome around 1670.

Born in Vienna Austria in 1647 into a family of goldsmiths, Daniel Seiter apprenticed in the
apprenticeship in the workshop of the painter Johann C. Loth (1632- 1698), he followed him very young in Venice. Johann C. Loth is a representative of the Italian "tenebrism" influenced by the work of Caravaggio.
To perfect his education he decided to leave Venice and go to Rome to become one of the collaborators of Carlo Maratta (1625-1713); a tireless draftsman, his style asserts itself while remaining faithful to the influence of the chiaroscuro of Caravaggio.
He became a member of the academy of San Luca and a member of the academy of fine arts of the Pantheon in 1683, he received numerous commissions for frescoes and altarpieces for Roman churches.
He was noticed by the Duke of Savoy who became his protector and brought him to Turin, he painted the ceilings of the royal palace of Turin, but also the French church granted him a large number of commissions for churches and convents between 1698 and 1705 namely:
-a Saint Francis of Assisi in the cathedral of St. John of Lyon
- four effigies of Carthusian monks from the Carthusian monastery in Marseille, now in the city's museum.
He died in Turin in 1705 when he was to leave for London to paint several pictures for the English court.
His works are preserved:
Louvre museum, residence of the dukes of Savoy in Turin, Nancy museum
Munich museum of the residence, castle of Pommersfeld Germany,
Fabre Museum Montpellier, Museum of Marseille, Rome, Saint Luc Gallery.