Engraved by Jacques Philippe Le Bas (1707-1783) after a painting by David Teniers the Younger depicting the seven acts of mercy, which include feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, burying the dead, visiting the sick and liberating the imprisoned.
Flemish village scene, poor relief; foreground, a bearded man distributes loaves of bread from behind a table to a crowd of paupers, a woman breast feeds a child, a boy pours liquid from an earthenware jug, a boy drinks, a basket of bread rests on two barrels, a partially clothed man receives clothing; middleground, on the left, a dog, a house with a doorway and shuttered window and three men two of whom carry staffs, in the centre, a large house with a round tower and figures behind windows including a man lying on a four poster bed; background, trees, a church and a group of figures (a funeral?) one of whom holds a cross. Highly detailed large engraving with extensive cross hatching. Title accompanied by a vignette featuring two angels, a crown and a shield. Text on image, stone bottom left, 'DAVID TENIERS'
