FETTI, Domenico
(b. ca. 1589, Roma, d. 1623, Venezia)

Parable of the Lost Drachma

c. 1618
Oil on wood, 75 x 44 cm
Gemäldegalerie, Dresden

The poor woman of the gospel parable has turned everything she owns out and over seeking the lost coin by the feeble light of a flickering oil lamp. The gigantic, formless shadows the small flame casts seem to express the enormity of her search, a metaphor for the fervent, heartfelt concern for the straying sinner that Jesus describes.

This version of the painting was executed by Fetti's workshop.