The Trinity with Souls in Purgatory

The Trinity with Souls in Purgatory, early 1740s, Corrado Giaquinto, Italian, (active Naples, Rome and Spain), 1703 - 1766, 39 x 29 1/8 in. (99.06 x 73.98 cm) (canvas), Oil on canvas, Italy, 18th century, Below this resplendent vision of the Trinity—God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (shown as a white dove)—are souls in purgatory represented as anguished, naked figures in partial darkness. The light shining down on some of them, and the Father’s compassionate gesture, portend their eventual redemption. Corrado Giaquinto, a late champion of the Italian Baroque style, made numerous versions of the Trinity, but only this one includes purgatory. He painted it when he was living in Rome. The figure of the dead Christ reflects his careful study of Michelangelo’s famous sculpture of the Pietà (1498–1500) in St. Peter’s Basilica. (Photo by: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)