The story of Pero, a beautiful young girl who visited the cell of an imprisoned elderly man to offer him her breast milk in order not to die of starvation, is widely known around the world through art!
The imprisoned man was her father, Cimon, who had been sentenced to die of starvation. His daughter tried to save him, even violating her personal code of ethics. When she met him in isolation, she lowered the top of her dress and offered her father her breast to breastfeed! Although Pero violated prison regulations, when the guards saw the incident, they were moved and released Cimon.
The story of Pero inspired many artists from the Roman years to the 17th century. It became synonymous with compassion and piety, which is why the most works depicting this incident bear the title “Roman Charity”. It is worth noting that there are more than three hundred paintings and sculptures depicting the girl who “sacrificed” and transformed her father into a “brother of her children”.
images from: Wikimedia Commons
