Caravaggio

Question 1

Baachus

Answer 1

by Caravaggio from 1595-96 in Italy

• Commissioned by his first patron, Cardinal Del Monte
• The painting is currently held in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence
• The model in the painting is Caravaggio’s friend, Mario Minniti
• The painting was meant as a gift for the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Ferdinand I
• A recent restoration has revealed the outline of a man’s face in the jug of wine in the foreground that is believed to be the self-portrait of the artist

Question 2

The Cardsharps

Answer 2

from 1595 in Rome

• Depicts two men playing cards with the man in the foreground cheating and the guy behind his opponent is helping him
• It is considered a lowlife genre painting because of the two men cheating and is meant to invoke honest behaviour
• The two cheating men are bravi meaning they were street gangsters of their day
• Over 30 copies exist of the painting, hinting at its popularity
• Currently in the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, TX

Question 3

Judith Beheading Holofernes

Answer 3

from 1599 in Italy

• Depicts a story from the book of Judith which is only in Catholic bibles
• Uses the technique of tenebrism which display strong contrast between light and dark
• Commissioned by Ottavio Costa
• Currently in the National Gallery of Ancient Art in Rome
• A similar painting was discovered in Toulouse in 2014, however, an export ban was placed on it and the French government is presently trying to establish its authenicity

Question 4

The Calling of St. Matthew

Answer 4

from 1599-1600 in Italy

• Commissioned by Matteo Contarelli
• Made for the Church of St. Louis of the French
• Hangs along side Caravaggio’s The Martydom of St. Matthew and The Inspirationo of St. Matthew in the Contarelli Chapel of the Church of St. Louis
• Depicts the New Testament account in which Jesus summons Matthew to abandon his days as a tax collector and be his disciple
• The painting was first to be completed out of the three paintings in Contarelli Chapel