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Judith and Holofernes
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Saint Francis in meditation
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Judith and Holofernes
Narciso
Saint Francis in meditation
La Fornarina
Portrait of Henry VIII
Portrait of Pope Urban VIII Barberini - Painting
Portrait of Stefano IV Colonna
The Triumph of Divine Providence and the fulfillment of its ends under the pontificate of Urban VIII
Square staircase
Helical staircase
Allegory of Divine Wisdom
Portable tabernacle with the Pietà, scenes of saints and martyrs
Baptism of Christ
St. Mary Magdalene
Portrait of Urban VIII
Portrait of Beatrice Cenci
Mystical marriage of Saint Catherine and saints
Stories of the Passion of Christ
Portrait of Abbondio Rezzonico
Annunciation
Portrait of Urban VIII - Sculpture
Madonna with Child (Madonna Hertz)
Deposition of Christ in the tomb
Mystical marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria
The suicide of Cleopatra
Portrait of Cardinal Antonio Barberini

Saint Francis in meditation

Michelangelo Merisi, detto Caravaggio

Displayed in:

Barberini Palace

Barberini Palace

Via delle Quattro Fontane, 13 , Rome

Open now from 10:00 to 18:00

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In a dark and arid scenario, St. Francis holds a skull in his hands: he is meditating on death, understood in terms of redemption from earthly life. Every detail bears the mark of humility and penance, such as the torn habit on the shoulder, the broken trunk and the rough wooden cross, a clear reference to the passion of Christ. Skull and cross mediate Francis' intimate and profound dialogue with the divine, in a very popular iconographic variant in the Counter-Reformation period. It is no coincidence that the saint, famous for having embraced an ideal of life based on poverty, during one of his last retreats in prayer, would have received the stigmata, reliving the physical signs of the crucifixion. He is represented on his knees, showing only a part of his face, strategically illuminated between the right cheek and the wrinkles of his forehead, and we can sense his absorbed and suffering expression. The canvas was found in 1968 in the church of San Pietro in Carpineto Romano and in 2000 it underwent an important restoration, carried out at the same time as that of another version of the painting, almost identical, preserved in the church of Santa Maria della Concezione. in via Veneto. The investigations confirmed the autography for the Barberini canvas and its chronological precedence, judging by the numerous repentances, typical not of a copy, but of a first draft. According to some scholars, the date of execution would be around 1606, when Caravaggio, fleeing Rome after the assassination of Ranuccio Tommasoni, took refuge in the Colonna fiefdoms, close to those of the Aldobrandini, patrons of the work.
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Details

Title: Saint Francis in meditation

Author: Michelangelo Merisi, detto Caravaggio

Date: 1606-1607

Technique: Oil painting on canvas

Displayed in: Barberini Palace

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