Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Date: c. 1710
Technique: Oil on canvas
Magnasco painted scenes in which he showed up the anxieties of his age, as for instance in this picture, which depicts a torture-chamber of the Inquisition. He borrowed some of his motifs from Callot's etchings, but the expressive arrangement and flowing rhythm of the groups are a reflection of his own highly individual and original style.
This is one of a group of three paintings inspired by the disasters of war. Looting, the wounded, and torture are all depicted in a lucid, almost documentary style, which could almost be regarded as a form of protest, uncommon though that was at the time.
Source