The Distribution to the Poor

Charity was an important part of social life. It did not only help the recipient, but also assuaged the soul of the giver. The painting shows a portly man behind a table. To his right, a woman manages the money. A group of people wait at the entrance to the high hall: mostly poor, but neatly dressed, women. The less…

Charity was an important part of social life. It did not only help the recipient, but also assuaged the soul of the giver. The painting shows a portly man behind a table. To his right, a woman manages the money. A group of people wait at the entrance to the high hall: mostly poor, but neatly dressed, women. The less fortunate were also expected to lead a decent life. If they did not, they risked loosing their alms, which was often the only thing that stood between poverty and total destitution. The dog in the foreground does not belong to the poor: whoever could feed a pet, had money.