The Charity of Saint Laurence.

The Charity of Saint Laurence, painted around 1640 and now in the Łazienki Palace collection in Warsaw, depicts the deacon Laurence distributing the church's treasures to the poor — an act that led directly to his martyrdom when he presented the poor themselves as the 'true treasure' of the church to a furious Roman prefect. This narrative was powerfully resonant in Counter-Reformation teaching about poverty, charity, and the church's social mission. Strozzi, whose Capuchin years had given him direct experience of institutional charity and poverty, invests the scene with a moral conviction that goes beyond mere illustration. The Warsaw Łazienki collection, assembled by Polish kings and nobles with strong Italian taste, preserves a number of important Italian Baroque canvases that entered Poland through diplomatic gifts and the grand tour art market.

Oil on canvas; Strozzi organizes the composition as a charitable encounter between the deacon and a crowd of recipients, using varied physiognomic types to individualize the poor. Warm golden tones connect this work to his Venetian palette, and the dalmatic vestment of Laurence is painted with careful attention to liturgical fabric.