Artwork
Caritas by Carlo Maratti
Caritas by Carlo Maratti is an unspecified painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Carlo Maratta. It dates from 1669 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1669, *Caritas* is an oil painting by the Roman artist Carlo Maratta, a central figure of the Italian Baroque in its later phase. The work is part of the collection of Munich’s Alte Pinakothek and exemplifies Maratta’s reputation for balanced, dignified compositions that convey a quiet solemnity.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a solemn woman, traditionally identified as the personification of Charity, surrounded by three infants of varying sizes. The children are arranged in gentle interaction—one reclines, the others sit upright—suggesting the nurturing and protective qualities associated with the virtue.
Technique & Style
Maratta employs a restrained palette, using deep tones for the figure’s dress and background while rendering the infants in softer, lighter hues. The brushwork is smooth and controlled, reflecting his classicizing tendency within the late Baroque, where clarity of form and measured emotion predominate over dramatic excess.
History & Provenance
Carlo Maratta, who enjoyed patronage from several popes and produced numerous frescoes and canvases for ecclesiastical and aristocratic commissions, painted *Caritas* during the height of his Roman career. The canvas later entered the Alte Pinakothek’s holdings, where it remains on display as part of the museum’s Baroque collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Carlo Maratta or Maratti (18 May 1625 – 15 December 1713) was an Italian Baroque painter and draughtsman, active principally in Rome where he was the leading painter in the second half of the 17th century.
