The collaboration between Father Alessio Fucile, an art expert, and the Shalom blog continues. Father Alessio will guide us in exploring the most important moments of the liturgical year through beautiful works of art that, in addition to inspiring wonder at their splendor, can help us better understand Sacred Scripture and the message of Jesus.
Today, Father Alessio presents Caravaggio’s painting “Madonna of the Rosary,” which can be admired at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
Let me introduce you to the “Madonna of the Rosary”, a painting attributed to Caravaggio, presumably created around 1607. This work is currently housed in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
Caravaggio and the Invitation to Devotion
Caravaggio, also known as Michelangelo Merisi, engages viewers through the gestures and attitudes of the protagonists, creating an intense call to prayer. In particular, the work invites us to turn to Mary as a guide to reaching Jesus. The canvas is believed to have been painted in Naples for the Rosary chapel in the Church of San Domenico. Marcantonio Colonna, the patron’s grandfather, is probably portrayed supporting Saint Dominic’s cloak. The Colonna family name, present in the family coat of arms, seems to be alluded to by the column on the left side of the painting, which also represents a symbol of the Church. A red drape tied to the column serves as a backdrop to the scene, almost as in a theatrical performance, while an external light illuminates the central group.
Mary and the Saints: Central Figures of the Work
Mary holds the infant Jesus in her arms, surrounded by a group of friars, including Saint Dominic on her right and Saint Peter Martyr on her left. Below, some pleading faithful reach out their hands toward her; they are poor, poorly dressed, dirty, and sick people who seem to need everything. In them, Caravaggio portrays the poverty he encountered every day in the streets. With his hands open and his gaze turned toward Mary, Saint Dominic seems to receive from her, through a silent yet eloquent maternal gesture, the invitation to distribute the Rosary beads. As at the wedding at Cana, Mary silently and decisively asks that what Jesus desires be done. Indeed, what the poor lack is symbolized by the Rosary beads that she lovingly distributes. Saint Peter Martyr, with a prominent wound on his head symbolizing his martyrdom, points to Mary and the Child.
The Victory of Lepanto and the Power of Prayer
When Caravaggio created this painting, the memory of the grace attributed to the Madonna for the victory in the Battle of Lepanto was still alive, a crucial clash between Christianity and the Ottoman Empire. Pope Pius V had invited the faithful to pray the Rosary to ask for Mary’s help. In 1571, the Christian fleet achieved a decisive victory at Lepanto, and the Pope, still praying, was inspired to have the bells ring in celebration, certain that grace had been granted. In thanksgiving, Pius V established the feast of Saint Mary of Victory, later transformed into the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, which is still celebrated today on October 7.
In his work, Caravaggio celebrates the victory of Lepanto, in which the Colonna family also participated, depicting the faith of those who entrust everything to Mary, certain that her hands lead to Jesus and obtain the impossible.
Humanity and divinity: a pictorial bond
Merisi prefers to depict the humblest and most vulnerable aspect of the faithful; the dirty feet in the foreground are an act of pictorial love for reality in its fragility. To human poverty, God responds by becoming incarnate in the little Jesus, who makes himself weak to make man strong. Mary is the central figure: the gazes and gestures of the faithful refer to her, and from her come the gaze and gesture that give dynamism to the whole. The faithful who turn to Dominic receive from him what Mary maternally recommends: prayer.
Realism and identification: the psychological impact of the work
The realism with which Caravaggio portrays the faithful has a strong psychological impact, creating an identification between the people and the scene depicted. There is continuity between the image and reality, achieved through a skilful rhetorical device. The artist shows neither needs being fulfilled nor miracles; on the contrary, Saint Peter displays a wound on his head. In prayer, one is close to Jesus and Mary and, paradoxically, has the opportunity to understand the meaning of suffering and establish a profound bond between one’s own misery and God’s mercy.
Caravaggio urges you to join that group of faithful who were the first to kneel to receive the true gift that Mary and Jesus give: prayer, the strength of man and the weakness of God! In prayer, you can find the strength that will allow you to face with courage the trials that life places before you every day. I wholeheartedly wish that you may discover the precious treasure of your relationship with God and savor the sweetness of his presence in your life. Thank you for your kind attention.
