The Inspiration of Saint Matthew [SEP] creator
The Inspiration of Saint Matthew
The Inspiration of Saint Matthew (1602) is a painting by the Italian Baroque master Caravaggio. Commissioned by the French Cardinal Matteo Contarelli, the canvas hangs in Contarelli chapel altar in the church of the French congregation San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, Italy. It is one of three Caravaggio canvases in the chapel: hanging between the larger earlier canvases of "The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew", and "The Calling of Saint Matthew". This was not an easy commission for Caravaggio, and
man, and see him to be pointing at himself, as if to ask "Me?" in response to Christ's summons. This theory is strengthened when one takes into consideration the other two works in this series, "The Inspiration of Saint Matthew", and "The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew". The bearded man who models as Saint Matthew appears in all three works, with him unequivocally playing the role of Saint Matthew in both the "Inspiration" and the "Martyrdom".
A more recent interpretation