Originally from Cologne in Germany, the painter Matteo Loves met Guercino during his stay in Rome between 1621 and 1623, becoming a follower and close collaborator in the Cento workshop, where he found himself working alongside the other assistants in the production of copies before undertaking an independent career.
The work displayed here depicts the healing of Saint Roch from the plague due to divine intervention. The saint, who became ill while healing the sick, shows his sores to the angel who, indicating the sky, tells him of the speedy cure ordered by God.

The canvas is a clear example of the synthesis that Matteo Loves succeeded in achieving between Guercino’s teaching and his early Flemish training. Guercino’s naturalism in the chiaroscuro passages and in the compositional balance between the figures and the background, is combined with the cold light, the clear atmosphere and a painstaking description of the typical details of Nordic painting. These elements made Matteo Loves a collaborator with one of the most intense and personal styles.