Talismanic Images. Plague and Protection in Renaissance Italy

The plague that struck Europe in 1347-50 - known throughout history as the Black Death - was only the first of many cyclical outbreaks that would have repeatedly devastated Italy and Europe over the following four centuries. Constantly threatened by unpredictable outbursts of new epidemics, fifteenth and sixteenth century Italians tried to cope by various means with the invisible enemy of the plague.

This exhibition explores the role of images originated from the experience and expectation of the plague. Plague-related images are not mere illustration of the horrifying effects of the contagion. On the contrary, they transmit positive sentiments and, above all, they become instruments of healing and protection. Displayed in the churches, carried around the city in procession, hung over the bed in the house, or even just worn on the body, devotional images worked as physical intercessors of the divine. Through them, Renaissance Italians, invoked the assistance of the heavenly figures of the Christian faith, and through them, it was thought, divine powers operated within society.

Whearease the artworks on display are constructed of various of materials and are sourced from different locations, all share the same talismanic agency against death and disease.