Italian artist Giacomo Ceruti (1698-1767) is best known for his compelling portraits of low-income and impoverished men, women, and children. Achieved at a grand scale and with a compassionate eve, his paintings convey the humanity and dignity of his subjects, even as they endure hardship and marginalization. Highly successful during his lifetime, Ceruti was all but forgotten by the early twentieth century, when an important group of his paintings was rediscovered in the castle of Padernello near the city of Brescia. These works became known as the Padernello cycle, and their reemergence sparked new appreciation for the technical excellence and social sensitivity of an artist ahead of his time. This volume accompanies the first exhibition in the United States solely devoted to the work of Giacomo Ceruti: With the Padernello cycle at its foundation, the book builds on recent scholarship to enhance understanding of the artist, his place in art history, and the socioeconomic realties of his lifetime.