The Sacrament of Extreme Unction (Orent Super Eum Urgentes Eum Oleo in Nomine Domini / Le Sacrementde lL’Extrême-Onction)

“Extreme unction” a traditional and still widely used term for “Anointing of the Sick, ” the Catholic sacrament which involves blessing those whose are approaching death, except those who persevere in serious sin. Fine oil, such as that from olives, is applied to the sick person. Today we often think of it as being applied to the forehead, but in old pictures, it is often seen being applied to the hand, as shown here. This engraving reproduces in print a painting made by Nicolas Poussin in the 1640s as part of a set showing the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church. Poussin was already famous in his own time for making pictures that drew on the conventions of ancient Roman relief sculptures, such as those seen on temples and sarcophagi. The people in the image are arrayed across the foreground, and the background seems like a shallow stage set. Prints such as this are how most people saw Poussin’s art in the age before photography and easy travel.