The painting, set in 15th century florence, represents the episode which, according to tradition, led to the reconstitution of the compagnia della misericordia. Founded in the thirteenth century, this brotherhood had among its tasks the burial of the indigent, a task from which it was relieved in 1425, when at the behest of the political authorities it was merged with the compagnia del bigallo. The canvas illustrates the dramatic moment in which a citizen brings the body of a young woman before the standard bearer, left unburied in santa croce because it arrived after the time designated for burials. This provocative act would have made clear the need to reconstitute the compagnia della misericordia and entrust it with all its tasks again. According to the dictates of history painting, the fifteenth-century inspired theme is addressed by the artist with great care in the correct characterization of the characters' clothes and in the convincing setting of the scene. In the light of the teachings of domenico morelli, pagliano however grafts a realist sensitivity onto the historical subject, making his characters not the extras of a costume re-enactment, but the actors of a drama. Object Type: painting. Medium: painting. Collection: Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milano.
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