History’s Altruistic Story of a Daughter Breastfeeding Her Father

How it influenced the baroque painters

Roman Charity- Cimon and Pero by Peter Paul Rubens
Source- Wikipedia

This is an exemplary story of a woman Pero who secretly breastfed her imprisoned father Cimon who was starving to death in prison.

The selfless devotion of Pero to nourish his father Cimon at her own breast is called “Roman Charity”. It is history’s most altruistic story of honoring one’s parent.

History of Roman Charity

The kindness of Pero towards her starving father in prison depicts one of the Corporal works of mercy — “To feed the hungry.” Corporal works of mercy are given by Jesus in Chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew.

This story of Pero and Cimon is registered in Factorum ac dictorum memorabilium by an ancient Roman historian Valerius Maximus. It is believed in the Romans that this story is related to the mythological story of Juno’s breastfeeding of the adult Hercules.

Additionally, the wall frescos and paintings excavated from Pompeii revealed the visual representations of Pero and Cimon.

How the Baroque painters were influenced by Roman Charity

The Seven Works of Mercy by Caravaggio