All 3
paintings are hanged at the chapel, Calling
and Martyrdom at both side, with Inspiration at the altar.
The Calling of Saint Matthew. 1599-1600, Oil
on canvas, 322cm x 340cm
The painting
depicts the story from the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 9:9): "Jesus saw a
man named Matthew at his seat in the custom house, and said to him,
"Follow me", and Matthew rose and followed Him." Caravaggio
depicts Matthew the tax collector sitting at a table with four other men. Jesus
Christ and Saint Peter have entered the room, and Jesus is pointing at Matthew.
A beam of light illuminates the faces of the men at the table who are looking
at Jesus Christ.
The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew, 1599-1600, Oil
on canvas, 323cm x 343cm
The painting
shows the martyrdom of Saint Matthew the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of
Matthew. According to tradition, the saint was killed on the orders of the king
of Ethiopia while celebrating Mass at the altar. The king lusted after his own
niece, and had been rebuked by Matthew, for the girl was a nun, and therefore
the bride of Christ. Cardinal Contarelli, who had died several decades earlier,
had laid down very explicitly what was to be shown: the saint being murdered by
a soldier sent by the wicked king, some suitable architecture, and crowds of
onlookers showing appropriate emotion. The
figure in the background, about left-centre and behind the assassin, is a
self-portrait by Caravaggio.
The Inspiration of Saint Matthew, 1602, oil on
canvas, 292cm x 186cm
In the
painting, the angel belongs to an aerial and sublime dimension, enveloped in an
encircling rippled sheet. The restless Matthew leans to work, as the angel
enumerates for him the work to come. All is darkness but for the two large
figures. Matthew appears to have rushed to his desk, his stool teetering into
our space. His expression is sober.
