GREEN PENITENT – original 18th-century engraving, Italian confraternity

Original etching by Jacques-Charles Bar, hand-enhanced with watercolor.

France, circa 1780–1790.
Dimensions: 41 cm × 26 cm
Size : 16.2" × 10.2"
Condition: excellent – laid paper, intact margins, clearly visible plate mark.

Rare and fascinating depiction of an Italian green penitent, a member of a lay confraternity devoted to penitence and mystery.
The entirely green costume, pierced only by two openings for the eyes, completely conceals the face of the faithful.
In the flickering light of nocturnal processions, these anonymous figures formed a procession of silent specters, moving slowly to the rhythm of funerary chants and bells.

The Green Penitents appeared in the 17th century, mainly in Genoa and Florence. Their green habit symbolized Christian hope and redemption, yet to the people these hooded figures often evoked death, judgment, and the fear of sin.
Beneath their cowls, these brothers expiated their faults through silence and prayer, visiting the dying, accompanying the condemned, and taking part in impressive Holy Week ceremonies.

Their presence, both pious and terrifying, left a lasting mark on the Italian popular imagination.
In the narrow alleyways, it was whispered that their nocturnal processions recalled the marches of the souls of Purgatory, come to claim the prayers of the living.

Print by Jacques-Charles Bar, an engraver renowned for his portraits of religious orders and scenes of popular devotion.
Remarkable freshness of the original period colors – original hand-press impression.
Provenance: private European collection.

A rare, expressive, and subtly unsettling piece – perfect for a cabinet of curiosities, a gothic interior, or a collection of baroque religious art.