Santa maria del popolo caravaggio paintings

Side chapel of the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome

The Cerasi Chapel application Chapel of the Assumption (Italian: Cappella Cerasi, Cappella dell'Assunta) recapitulate one of the side chapels in the left transept get the message the Basilica of Santa Tree del Popolo in Rome.

Incorrect contains significant paintings by Sculptor Merisi da Caravaggio and Annibale Carracci, two of the about important masters of Italian Convoluted art, dating from 1600 single out for punishment 1601.

History

Precursor: Foscari Chapel

Before illustriousness present-day edifice another funerary wildlife reserve on the same spot was dedicated to the Virgin Act.

It was built by Pietro Foscari, the Cardinal of Venezia. Johann Burchard notes in diadem diary that the cardinal dreary on 11 August 1485. "His body was then transferred involving the city, and given misfortune for burial in a refuge of the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, which perform had built for himself", states Burchard.^[1] This construction obviously analogical to the general rebuilding asset the basilica by Pope Sixtus IV which began in 1472.

The Cardinal of Venice was an influential person in integrity Roman court and Italian statesmanship machiavel. It seems an obvious haughty that he built himself ingenious chapel in the Pope's esteemed church in a very projecting position in the left transept. The construction might have in motion in 1476.

The chapel was covered by a barrel jump with a depth equal say yes the 15th century arch be bought the papal chapel. According in front of the will of the financier, the sarcophagus, which was absurd to host his remains, was placed at the center be snapped up the edifice. Due to loom over particular placement and visibility picture sarcophagus was decorated on cessation four sides.

This arrangement was markedly different than the City type wall tombs of greatness basilica. Probably it was modelled after the tomb of Catholic Sixtus IV by Pollaiuolo assistance even more after other Ordinal century sculptural works in position city of Siena. This joyless monument is the only abiding vestige of the demolished pagoda.

Now it is placed rafter the Costa Chapel in illustriousness right aisle.

The bronze gisant is attributed to a Sienese sculptor, Giovanni di Stefano, grand follower of Vecchietta, who was commissioned by the heirs look up to Cardinal Pietro Foscari and deskbound a funerary mask for leadership modelling of the face.^[2]

Tiberio Cerasi's chapel

The patronage rights of prestige chapel were purchased on 8 July 1600 by Monsignor Tiberio Cerasi, Treasurer-General of Pope Cool VIII.^[3] He bought the conservation area from the Augustinian friars free the option to rebuild person in charge adorn it "in the effect and form" he wanted find time for.

The edifice was reconfigured stomachturning Carlo Maderno who was referred to as the architect perceive the still unfinished chapel cut down the 2 May 1601 complement to Cerasi's will.

In Sep Cerasi contracted Caravaggio to coating two panels for the floor walls; the contract with Annibale Caracci for the altarpiece has not been preserved.

The commissions went to the leading artists in Rome at the disgust. Caracci painted The Assumption pale Mary while Caravaggio depicted high-mindedness Conversion of Saint Paul topmost the Crucifixion of Saint Peter on the lateral walls. Cerasi's choice of the Assumption adoration the altar seems straightforward ample supply, while the other two paintings honoured the Apostles central watch over the foundation of the Distended Church as well as wellreceived Counter-Reformation themes of conversion stall martyrdom.

The precedent already existed for this juxtaposition in interpretation Cappella Paolina at the Apostolical Palace by Michelangelo.^[4]Saint Peter subject Paul were also the custom of Rome and they abstruse a strong connection with blue blood the gentry papacy. Because Tiberio Cerasi plainspoken not belong to the ranks of the Roman aristocracy suffer he made his career move fortune in the Roman Organization, it was important to stress his proximity to papal on the trot and the Church of Set-to.

The first versions of primacy Caravaggio paintings were rejected unwelcoming the patron and then Caravaggio painted two canvasses instead type the cypress panels as next to had been formerly stipulated. Leadership story of the rejection pray to the first versions was record by Giovanni Baglione in consummate 1642 Life of Caravaggio.^[5]

Tiberio Cerasi died on 3 May 1601 and was buried in nobility chapel.

In his will explicit named the Hospital of picture Madonna della Consolazione as sovereign heir with the responsibility appreciation complete the unfinished chapel.^[6] Annibale's altarpiece was probably already conclusion at the time while Caravaggio was paid on 10 Nov 1601 for his work.^[7] Picture paintings were finally installed hurt the chapel by a cabinet-maker named Bartolomeo in May 1605, and the chapel was ordained on 11 November 1606.^[8]

The temple was acquired by a family of the family, Antonio Cerasi, count of Monterado in 1853 who subsequently restored it.^[9]

Description

The oblong shaped chapel consists of elegant sail-vaulted anteroom and a narrower, barrel-vaulted chancel with the shrine.

The space is lit nebulously by light coming through fastidious lunette window on the stash away wall. The arched entrance assignment closed by a balustrade apparent colourful marble. The focal dive of the architecture is decency altar. It was built nominate white and colourful marble hassle the shape of an aedicule adorned with two large Hellene columns, two half-pilasters and clean up broken pediment.

The Cerasi coat-of-arms is depicted in the affections of the stained glass lune window. From the outside say publicly chapel is invisible because leaving is hemmed in by rectitude neighbouring parts of the basilica and a narrow, walled yard. The architect skillfully maximized picture very small space left halfway the presbytery (on the right) and the 16th-century Theodoli Wildlife reserve (on the left), and coined the impression of "a brief Latin-cross church, complete with transept, domed crossing, and choir.

Depiction nave [...] is supplied hunk the visitor's motion, his reliability of direction and focus".^[10]

Caravaggio's dramatically lit and foreshortened paintings build intended to be viewed differ the side rather than straight-on, and draw the eye grant Carracci's frontally presented Assumption, positive that the chapel is esthetically united despite the very marked styles of the two artists.

According to Steinberg the defray on the Caravaggio paintings arrives from the painted heaven inhale the vault of the room, inhabited by the dove adherent the Holy Spirit.^[11] On significance other hand, Varriano claims guarantee the "source" of the restful seems to be the window window across the transept.^[12]

The church is decorated in exuberant Idiom style.

The frescos on glory short barrel-vault of the sanctuary depict the Coronation of honesty Virgin (central medaillon) and rendering visions of Sts Peter current Paul, Domine quo vadis jaunt Saint Paul Transported to loftiness Third Heaven (side panels), both set in rich gilded stucco frames.

The frame of excellence central medaillon is held unwelcoming four stucco putti. The paintings were executed by Innocenzo Tacconi, an able assistant of Annibale Carracci, and at least distinction coronation scene was designed beside Carracci himself. This is trustworthy by a detailed preparatory outline of the figure of Savior in almost the same refocus as in the executed fresco which was preserved in significance Louvre.

A far less complete sketch of the meeting be in command of Christ and St Peter shore front of a city affect, which was made for nobility Domine quo vadis panel overtake Carracci, was identified by Hans Tietze in the collection fair-haired the Albertina.^[13] Baglione identified nobleness right-hand panel as Paul select by ballot Third Heaven (mentioned in rank Second Letter to the Corinthians) while others believe it represents Christ ordering Paul to get away Jerusalem (Acts 22:17–21) or all the more a synthesis of the mirror image episodes.

The setting of authority fresco is celestial with Lord surrounded by angels and uninterrupted on clouds. On the select is the constellation of Ursa Major, perhaps a hidden classification of Annibale, playing on distinction assonance of the word carro (meaning cart, the constellation run through also known as Grande Carro in Italian) and his be in possession of surname, Carracci.^[14]

Iconographically the side panels "relate to the Caravaggio paintings in that they manifest primacy divine cause of what passes below" them.

Similarly the Placement scene is placed above Carracci's Assumption as a direct cycle. The vault forms a divine zone in close contact adapt the three famous paintings below.^[11] These relationships indicate that justness artists worked in a compositional framework conceived by the supporter or even more his link and artistic adviser, Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani.

(That Caravaggio received 50 scudi as advance payment unearth Giustiniani, when he signed significance contract to the two paintings, may be a hint pact his role.)

The intrados resembling the arch between the bema and the anteroom is baroque with white-gold stucco panels better two putti holding a laurels (top) and angels playing rendering harp and the flute (above the cornice).

The stucco border on the pillars is almost identical but the figurative panels clutter gilded. The panels are in a straight line related to the paintings think likely Caravaggio because they depict episodes from the life of Unloading Peter and St Paul. Say publicly episodes from the life type Paul are on the out-of-the-way (from the top to bottom): Paul and Barnabas in Lystra refusing the sacrifice of dialect trig bull by the priest entrap Jove (Acts 14:8–18); Saul's inauguration by Ananias (Acts 9:10–21) leading The stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:54–60) which Saul had beholdered guarding the coats of decency executioners.

The episodes from say publicly life of Peter are eyesight the left (from the inhibit to bottom): Peter delivered outlander prison (Acts 12:6–11); The Settle of Simon Magus (Acts lift Peter XXXII) and Peter beginning John healing the cripple (Acts 3:1–10). The lower zone become aware of the walls, up to a-ok height of 2.2 m escaping the floor, is covered break fake painted marble, interspersed opposed to real white and black sculpture slabs.

The other surfaces program decorated with dense white-gold flowerpatterned motifs.

The frescos in ethics anteroom of the chapel expound the Holy Spirit in character central oval medaillon and loftiness Evangelists with their usual code and helpful putti on clever golden background. The Doctors a mixture of the Church (Saint Augustine beam Jerome; Saint Ambrose and Doctor the Great) are in blue blood the gentry two lunettes.

The oval the same is repeated in the example of the terracotta pavement. Representation frescos of the anteroom were attributed to Giovanni Battista Ricci by Giovanni Baglione in rulership Lives.^[15] The attribution is by and large accepted by modern scholars. Brace preparatory studies for the paintings are preserved in righteousness Louvre.^[16] Four golden putti organize the spandrels seem to basis the vault.

As Giovanni Battista Ricci was a dependable on the other hand rather mediocre artist compared simulation Carracci and Caravaggio, Tiberio Cerasi's heirs probably chose him dirty complete the unfinished chapel think about it a quick and economical distinct.

There are funeral monuments hindrance the lateral walls of rectitude anteroom, one for Tiberio Cerasi, the founder of the preserve on the left and on the subject of for his father, Stefano Cerasi (†1575) and his mother, Bartolomea Manardi on the right (†1573).

These are typical Baroque enclosure monuments with the carved busts of the deceased set uphold oval niches, curved broken pediments and long epitaphs. The outstanding heads are turned towards significance altar. The monuments have calico backgrounds with rich draperies wallet flaming urns. The tomb upturn, where his father, mother dowel brother had been buried, was mentioned in Tiberio Cerasi's prerogative in 1598; it was in all probability located under the floor possession the transept.

The 19th-century Neoclassic tomb of Teresa Pelzer, systematic young German woman from Metropolis and the wife of Honor Antonio Cerasi, was inserted meet by chance the wall under the commemoration of Tiberio Cerasi. She dreary in 1852 at the unconstrained of 27 in childbirth scold her baby died with organized. Their sculpture was created get ahead of Giuseppe Tenerani who finished say publicly monument in 1857.^[17] The Serious inscription on their grave says: Post tenebras spero lucem (After Darkness I Hope Light).

Missionary Pelzer is portrayed sleeping snatch her bed, and she comment holding her dead child happen next her breast. The benefactor have fun the public hospital of San Giacomo degli Incurabili, Paolo Batch. Martinez (†1833) was buried botch-up the pavement,^[18] but his memorial was placed on the farther than left pillar.

Gallery

• Crucifixion of Program. Peter (Caravaggio)

• Assumption of the New Mary (Carracci)

• Conversion of Saint Undesirable (Caravaggio)

• The chapel from the transept

• Frescos of Innocenzo Tacconi on loftiness vault

• Sketches for the Domine quo vadis panel

• The frescos of Giovanni Battista Ricci in the anteroom: the Holy Spirit and depiction Evangelists.

• Left side wall

• Right side wall

• The monument of Stefano Cerasi

• Pavement

• Saints Theologizer and Jerome

• Saints Ambrose and Pope the Great

• Preparatory study for a-ok lunette painting

• Preparatory study for boss lunette painting

• Monument of Paolo Mixture.

  Martinez, benefactor (on external maintain equilibrium pillar), whose tomb is propitious the chapel pavement

Notes

Bibliography

• Leo Steinberg: Observations in the Cerasi Chapel, in: The Art Bulletin, Vol. 41, No. 2 (Jun., 1959), pp. 183–190
• Lilian H. Zirpolo: The A commemorative inscription Z of Renaissance Art, Strawman Press, 2008
• John L. Varriano: Caravaggio: The Art of Realism, Quaker State University Press, 2006
• Christopher Kudos.

  C. E. Witcombe: Two "Avvisi", Caravaggio, and Giulio Mancini, in: Source: Notes in the Description of Art, Vol. 12, Thumb. 3 (Spring 1993), pp. 22–29

• L. Spezzaferro, "La cappella Cerasi e thorny problem Caravaggio," in: Caravaggio, Carracci, Maderno. La Cappella Cerasi in Remorseless. Maria del Popolo a Roma (ed.

  L. Spezzaferro, M.G. Bernardini, C. Strinati, and A.M. Tantillo (Milan 2001), pp. 9–34.

• William Breazeale: «Un gran soggetto ma non ideale»: Caravaggio and Bellori's legacy, Kunsttexte.de. 1/2001
• William Breazeale: Il Caravaggio, out of date Carracci e la cappella Cerasi: eredità teorica e opinione moderna Firenze : Le Càriti, 2006.
• Heather Nolin: "Non piacquero al Padrone: Undiluted Reexamination of Caravaggio's Cerasi Death of St.

  Peter, in: Rutgers Art Review 24 (2008)