Why was this painting rejected?

The Carmelite monks found it too realistic and undignified. Rumors claimed Caravaggio used a drowned prostitute as his model for the Virgin Mary This work dates to 1606.

Who bought the rejected painting?

The Duke of Mantua purchased it on the recommendation of Peter Paul Rubens, who recognized its artistic importance This work dates to 1606.

How big is The Death of the Virgin?

The painting measures 369 × 245 cm (145.3 × 96.5 inches). It hangs at the Louvre.

Where Is The Death of the Virgin? See It at Louvre, Paris

Caravaggio painted The Death of the Virgin around 1604-1606 for the Carmelite church of Santa Maria della Scala in Rome. The painting was rejected as scandalous. The Virgin Mary lies dead, her body bloated, feet bare and dirty, surrounded by grieving apostles. A vast red curtain sweeps across the upper canvas.

Rumors spread that Caravaggio used a drowned prostitute from the Tiber as his model for the Virgin. True or not, the unflinching realism violated every convention of religious art. The barefoot apostles, the corpse-like pallor, the complete absence of heavenly glory: all offended the commissioning monks.

The Duke of Mantua purchased the rejected painting on Peter Paul Rubens' advice. It passed through English and French royal collections before reaching the Louvre. What the monks found sacrilegious, later generations recognized as radical.