by Caravaggio, 1606
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Caravaggio rendered this Madonna of the Palafrenieri in 1606 for an altar in St. Peter's Basilica. The papal grooms (palafrenieri) commissioned it for their chapel, but the painting was removed within weeks. Its frank naturalism offended Vatican sensibilities.
The Virgin Mary and young Christ press their feet on a serpent (symbolizing sin or heresy), assisted by St. Anne. Mary's low neckline, Christ's nakedness, and Anne's elderly appearance disturbed viewers accustomed to idealized sacred figures. Cardinal Scipione Borghese quickly purchased the rejected altarpiece. Caravaggio painted real people: a Roman prostitute reportedly modeled for Mary. It hangs in the Borghese Gallery.
Works that share an artist, movement, museum, genre, palette or theme with Madonna of the Palafrenieri (Madonna and Child with St. Anne).
Caravaggio, 1606
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Caravaggio, 1606
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Jan Steen, 1665
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Peter Paul Rubens, 1614
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Diego Velázquez, 1650
Artemisia Gentileschi, 1639
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