Artibus et Historiae no. 16 (VIII)

1987, ISSN 0391-9064

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FERDINANDO BOLOGNA - Searching for the True St. Francis in Ecstasy by Caravaggio for the Cardinal Francesco del Monte

A thorough examination of all the available artistic and documentational material connected with Caravaggio's works on the subject of St. Francis of Assisi, leads to the conclusion that the St. Francis in Ecstasy, mentioned in the 1627 inventory of Cardinal Del Monte's belongings, cannot be identified with any of the works known of so far. Not even the Stigmatization of St. Francis, now in Hartford, since the subject of this work is not the same at all and the history of the painting is completely different. For some Caravaggio most likely must have done the work mentioned in the inventory for Del Monte himself and with the saint in likeness of the Cardinal whose first name in baptism was in fact Francesco. If this supposition is true we should expect that the work we are looking for, besides fitting as closely as possible the subject in the title in the inventory, should highlight the figure of the saint as much as possible (and not as it is a fact in the Hartford painting), while being more clearly a portrait. The painting now in the Barbara Piasecka-Johnson Collection fulfills all these requirements quite well: it is of the dimensions given in the Del Monte inventory, the composition and unique use of iconography indicate that this interpretation of the ecstasy must be by Caravaggio himself. The preparatory graffiti are like what are quite often found in ones we are surest are Caravaggio's works. Furthermore, the execution is of the highest quality, and typical of the personal and autographic style of Caravaggio. This style also coincides precisely with that of the painter in the years just before the Calling of St. Matthew for the Contarelli Chapel, and not at all after 1600-1601 when Caravaggio left Del Monte's house. Finally, confirming the value of the work and its importance in art history, it should be noted that at the turn of the next century the style of the Johnson St. Francis was to become an example for Orazio Gentileschi to follow when turning to Caravaggism in his own career. At that point he did two paintings of St. Francis, one now in Rome and the other in Madrid. Both, though without preparatory graffiti (Orazio never used these) quite obviously derive from the masterpiece here in question.