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Why was Caravaggio’s Madonna of the Palafrenieri removed from St. Peter’s?
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Caravaggio
The Conversion of St. Paul (second version), oil on canvas by Caravaggio, 1601; in Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome.
Caravaggio’s The Madonna of the Palafrenieri was removed from St. Peter’s shortly after its installation in 1606 because it was considered "offensive" by church authorities.1
While the precise reason for this offense remains unconfirmed, historical accounts suggest two primary possibilities:
- The depiction of the Virgin: Church fathers may have been disturbed by the emphatically generous bosom of the Virgin Mary as she treads upon the viper, representing Satan.1
- The model: It is possible that church officials learned the figure of the Virgin had been modeled by a known prostitute, a detail that may have been brought to their attention by one of the painter’s rivals.1
This removal was part of a broader pattern of censorship Caravaggio faced during this period, as his commitment to stark realism and the representation of holy poverty often clashed with the more decorous expectations of the Catholic Church.12