Abraham Bloemaert (1566–1651), St. Roch , Red gouache, heightened with white gouache, over traces of black chalk, and possibly some pen and ink and wash, Gift of J. P. Morgan, Jr., 1924 , I, 229b
The present drawing is a unique example of the red monochrome—or rosaille—technique in Bloemaert’s graphic oeuvre. He used a mixture of opaque lead white and red chalk to create a full spectrum between red and white. Infrared reflectography reveals a complete and precise black chalk underdrawing that nearly corresponds to the gouache composition. This highly finished sheet was clearly conceived as an independent work of art and was possibly a devotional piece. St. Roch was the patron saint of plague sufferers.
St. Roch's Faithful Dog
St. Roch, the patron saint of plague sufferers, is shown here in all his agony. Resting at the base of a tree, a wound on his leg and the pain evident in his face, he is watched over by an angel. His only companion is a dog, who has brought him some bread. The legend is that this dog—in some versions, the dog was St. Roch's, and in others, the dog belonged to a local nobleman—brought bread every day and licked his wounds to heal them.