22.07.2025; Vortrag
Who is Matthew? A New Interpretation of Caravaggio’s Calling of St. Matthew in the Contarelli Chapel
Palazzo Grifoni Budini Gattai
Via dei Servi 51
50122 Firenze
Caravaggio, Die Berufung des Hl Matthäus, 1599-1600, Öl auf Leinwand, Rom, San Luigi dei Francesi, Cappella Contarelli
In research on Caravaggio's Calling of St. Matthew, the question of who the jesus younger could be is still debated today. Is it the bearded man in the middle of the table, pointing to his chest as if to ask, am I meant? Or is it the young tax collector at the left end of the table who, unnoticed, is about to steal money? The essay puts forward a new hypothesis in this respect and aims to show how Caravaggio deliberately misleads the viewer. Numerous previously unconsidered textual and pictorial sources are added to the discussion in order to solve the riddle of who is called. In doing so, the argumentation draws on central texts by Erasmus of Rotterdam, which were already available in Italian translations in the first half of the 16th century.
Please register here to attend the lecture online via Zoom:
s://eu02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/kUAA5ognTBW8b25_nrXj4Q#/registration
Website:
https://www.khi.fi.it/en/aktuelles/veranstaltungen/2025/07/who-is-matthew.php