Saint Matthew and the Angel

Saint Matthew and the Angel

Infobox Painting|



title=Saint Matthew and the Angel
artist=Caravaggio
year=1602
type=Oil on canvas
height=295
width=195
museum=Destroyed

"Saint Matthew and the Angel" (1602) is a painting from the Italian master Caravaggio (1571-1610), completed for the Contarelli Chapel in the church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome. It was destroyed in 1945 and is now known only from black and white photographs.

The work was contracted early in 1602 to replace an altarpiece sculpture by the Flemish artist Jacob Cobaert (Cope Fiammingo). Cobaert had struggled with the sculpture for decades, unable to complete it. When his statue of Saint Matthew, "sans" angel, was installed at last in January 1602, "the Contarelli, ... expecting something divine, or miraculous, and finding something dry, did not want it in their chapel; in exchange they commissioned a "St Matthew" from Michelangelo da Caravaggio." (Giovanni Baglione, a contemporary of Caravaggio).

The three-dimensionality and solid modeling of the painting suggest that Caravaggio wished to give it a sculptural appearance to compensate for Cobaert's rejected group. The Contarelli presumably turned to him because they were pleased with the two side-panels he had provided for the chapel in 1599/1600, "The Calling of Saint Matthew" and "The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew". These had been extremely well received, but "Saint Matthew and the Angel" was rejected. According to Caravaggio's early biographer, the critic Giovanni Bellori (1672), "...the priests took it down, saying that the figure with its legs crossed and its feet rudely exposed to the public had neither the decorum nor the appearance of a saint." Caravaggio biographer Helen Langdon (see References section below) advances the view that the artist had deliberately stressed the lowly nature of his saint, to stress in turn God's closeness to the common man, while the priests may have had more in mind the fact that Matthew's left foot thrusts out over the altar just above the spot where the officiating priest would have elevated the Host during Mass. They may also have been disconcerted by the fact that this illiterate peasant, who seems as if he might never have written a word before this angel came down to guide his hand so firmly, has no clear connection with the polished tax-collector depicted in the "Calling of Matthew" on one neighbouring wall, nor the venerable high churchman in the "Martyrdom" on the other. These faults were rectified by the artist in his replacement canvas, "The Inspiration of Saint Matthew", which now hangs in the chapel.

The rejected work was purchased by Caravaggio's patron, the wealthy banker Vincenzo Giustiniani, for his private collection, and probably cut down in size. It eventually entered the Kaiser Friedrich Museum painting gallery in Berlin, where it was destroyed in the closing stages of World War II.

ee also

*Chronology of works by Caravaggio

References

*cite book|first= Helen |last=Langdon|title=Caravaggio: A Life|year=1998|id=ISBN 0-374-11894-9
*cite book|first=John |last=Gash|title=Caravaggio|year=2003|id=ISBN 0906379407
*cite book|first=Francine |last=Prose|title=Caravaggio: Painter of Miracles|year=2005|id=ISBN 0-06-057560-3
*cite book|first=Peter|last=Robb|authorlink=Peter Robb|title=M|year=1998|id=ISBN 0-312-27474-2, ISBN 0-7475-4858-7
*cite book|first=John T.|last= Spike|title=Caravaggio|year=2001|id=ISBN 0-7892-0639-0


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Saint Matthew — the Evangelist Saint Matthew and the Angel by Guido Reni Apostle, Evangelist, Martyr Died near Hierapolis or …   Wikipedia

  • The Inspiration of Saint Matthew — Infobox Painting| title=The Inspiration of Saint Matthew artist=Caravaggio year=1602 type=Oil on canvas height=292 width=186 city=Rome museum=San Luigi dei Francesi The Inspiration of Saint Matthew (1602) is a painting by the Italian master… …   Wikipedia

  • The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew (Caravaggio) — Infobox Painting| title=The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew artist=Caravaggio year=1599 1600 type=Oil on canvas height=323 width=343 city=Rome museum=San Luigi dei Francesi The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew (1599 1600) is a painting by the Italian master …   Wikipedia

  • The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (Caravaggio) — Infobox Painting| title=The Incredulity of Saint Thomas artist=Caravaggio year=1601 1602 type=Oil on canvas height=107 width=146 museum=Sanssouci city=Potsdam The Incredulity of Saint Thomas is a painting by the Italian Baroque master Caravaggio …   Wikipedia

  • The Blessed Virgin Mary —     The Blessed Virgin Mary     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Blessed Virgin Mary     The Blessed Virgin Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ, the mother of God.     In general, the theology and history of Mary the Mother of God follow the… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Linguistics and the Book of Mormon — Part of a series on The Book of Mormon …   Wikipedia

  • The Incarnation —     The Incarnation     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Incarnation     I. The Fact of the Incarnation     (1) The Divine Person of Jesus Christ     A. Old Testament Proofs     B. New Testament Proofs     C. Witness of Tradition     (2) The Human… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Conversion on the Way to Damascus — This article is about the painting. For the conversion itself, see Conversion of Paul. The Conversion on the Way to Damascus Artist Caravaggio Year 1601 Type Oil on …   Wikipedia

  • Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons — This article is about the 1967 TV series. For the 2005 series, see Gerry Anderson s New Captain Scarlet. Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons …   Wikipedia

  • Christ on the Mount of Olives (Caravaggio) — For the Beethoven oratorio, see Christus am Ölberge. Christ on the Mount of Olives Artist Caravaggio Year c. 1605 Type Oil on canvas Dimensions 154 cm × 222 cm (61 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”