polity papal statesconcept:era early modern
The Calling of Saint Matthew
Oil on canvas (1599–1600) by Caravaggio, depicting Christ summoning the tax collector Matthew from a table of men. Still in its original location in the Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome. One of the most celebrated paintings of the Italian Baroque.
Scholarly Significance
Caravaggio's first major public commission; the painting that secured his reputation and established the Caravaggesque manner.
Notes
- ·Commissioned by Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte; Caravaggio's first large-scale public commission.
- ·Part of a three-painting cycle for the Contarelli Chapel: left wall The Calling of Saint Matthew, right wall The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew, and altar The Inspiration of Saint Matthew.
- ·Christ's pointing hand is compositionally derived from Michelangelo's Creation of Adam (Sistine Chapel).
- ·The shaft of light entering from the right (representing divine illumination) is one of the most celebrated lighting effects in Western painting.
- ·Source: Matthew 9:9.
- ·Installed in the Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome; visible to this day in its original location.