Artwork
Saint Matthew and the Angel
Saint Matthew and the Angel is an oil painting by the Baroque artist Caravaggio. It dates from 1602 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
About this work
Overview
Caravaggio’s 1602 work Saint Matthew and the Angel was created for the Contarelli Chapel in Rome’s San Luigi dei Francesi. The composition presents the evangelist in a moment of study, assisted by an angelic figure. The painting was lost during the 1945 bombing of Berlin and survives only through monochrome photographs and later colour reconstructions.
Subject & Meaning
The scene depicts Matthew, identifiable by his beard and scholarly pose, absorbed in a manuscript while an angel with luminous wings leans close, directing his attention to the text. The gesture of the angel’s finger implies a divine guidance in the act of writing or reading, underscoring the theological notion of inspiration.
Technique & Style
Caravaggio employs his characteristic chiaroscuro, casting deep shadows that isolate the two figures against a near‑black backdrop. A focused beam of light illuminates their faces and hands, heightening the tactile quality of the book and the angel’s wing. The stark contrast accentuates the intimate interaction and the materiality of the objects.
History & Provenance
Originally installed in the Contarelli Chapel, the painting remained in Rome until it entered a private collection that later moved to Berlin. During the Allied air raids of 1945 the work was destroyed, leaving only photographic documentation. Subsequent colourised reproductions are based on these black‑and‑white images, providing the primary visual record of the lost piece.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life.
