# The Sick Child

- By: Gabriël Metsu (Leiden, 1629–1667)
- Date: c. 1664 - c. 1666
- Medium: canvas, oil paint (paint)
- Classification: painting
- Dimensions: height 32.2 cm x width 27.2 cm
- Credit line: Purchased with the support of the Vereniging Rembrandt
- Museum: [Rijksmuseum](https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/object/SK-A-3059--67c2d3403b3d016bcf2a31c80d14af94)
- Rights: [Public Domain Mark](http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/)
- Picture: https://iiif.micr.io/zdALf/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

In 1663, the plague ravaged Amsterdam, claiming one in ten lives. Around this time, Metsu painted this picture of a mother comforting her sick child. Their posture evokes a pieta: the Virgin Mary with the body of Jesus on her lap. The painting on the wall, depicting Christ on the cross, serves as a poignant reminder of that suffering.