Madonna of the Pilgrims Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610)

Description of Merisi da Caravaggio’s Madonna di Loreto (1604-1606)

The painting was commissioned by the aristocratic Cavaletti family as an altarpiece for the family church chapel at Sant’Agostino in Rome. The painting was painted in two stages with a pause due to a conflict with a notary who objected to having the image of Mary posed by the master’s lover. After a time, the artist returned to his monumental work and completed it.

The Virgin Mary on this canvas seems to be floating in the heavens in the middle of the altar space. The painter dared to show her in the guise of an ordinary peasant woman at the moment of a touching, humble and warning meeting with two barefooted pilgrims, soiled during the long road. It is not in vain that the second title of the painting is Our Lady of the Pilgrims. The Madonna’s face is full of boundless chastity and artlessness. Baby Jesus in her arms is looking at the pilgrims with inquisitiveness and concern.

The master paid great attention to detail, focusing on the large size of the child and the depiction of Mary’s weightless feet. However, for a divine character, her pose is very coquettish and immodest. She is dressed in a dusky garment, a dark blue chiton of silk, and on top an olive-brown velvety blouse that hides her arms, but reveals her neck and part of her chest too boldly for a biblical scenario.

The images of the pilgrims on the canvas are purely striking. In the foreground of the painting are expressive figures of pilgrims equipped with long staffs. They look like ordinary peasants, judging by their attire. They greet the Child and His mother on their knees, with their hands respectfully folded in prayer. What catches the eye is the woman’s dirty headdress and the artist’s highlighting of the soiled feet of the young commoner who has traveled the difficult path barefoot. The feet almost reach the edge of the canvas.

Caravaggio first expressed on the canvas the idea of the injustice of the existence on earth order, which even the divine forces are unable to change. "Madonna of Loreto" did not interest connoisseurs, who found it inexpressive, but it was admired by the common people who offered prayers in front of it. The true essence of the painting lies in the author’s idea that pilgrimage is a metaphor for worldly life, as well as in the immutable importance of spirituality.