Death of Mary by Michelangelo Merisi and Caravaggio

The painting “The Death of Mary” is one of the last works of the artist. Apparently, under the influence of church painting of Rome, Caravaggio refers to a complex multi-figure composition. The picture with its cruel straightforwardness became a literal reproduction of life. This is probably one of the most tragic works in the collection of the Louvre.

The bodily reality of death, accentuated by a sharp light from the depths of the picture, shocked everyone. The monastery of the Carmelites, commissioned by this image, refused the painting even before the end of the work. On the advice of Rubens, this canvas replenished the collection of the Duke of Mantua, for a long time becoming an object of imitation for other artists.

Then the picture came to Charles I of England, later, during the revolution, was bought by a certain banker, and after his bankruptcy was acquired by Louis 14 and thus was in the Louvre.