Caravaggio: The Death of the Virgin

The painting shows the death of the Virgin Mary, surrounded by several companions of Christ. Mary's posture gives the scene a striking realism. She is identifiable at the center of the composition by the halo above her head, the only element marking her as a holy figure. The Virgin is dead, and the scene is harsh: her body is swollen, her hair undone, her legs uncovered. So important a religious figure is depicted like an ordinary woman of the people, her lifeless body stripped of all restraint.

Such a portrayal was almost unthinkable to Caravaggio's contemporaries, running entirely counter to the imagery they were accustomed to. It was partly this overwhelming realism that caused scandal and shocked the public of the time. The apostles of Christ are not clearly identifiable; most have darkened faces or are buried in their hands. Many historians, however, believe the bearded man to the left of Mary may be Saint Peter, and the kneeling figure Saint John.

The red drapery painted above the figures may symbolize the Assumption, the moment when Mary's body rises toward her son. Red is the dominant color of the painting, and this drapery occupies a central place in the scene. It is likely this subtlety that escaped the monks who commissioned the work, hence their refusal to install it in their chapel, along with the brutality of a scene they judged unworthy of its intended setting.
 

Following this controversy, the work was sold to the Duke of Mantua. It was first shown publicly, then sent to Rome. The painting later passed into the collection of King Charles I of England, and then into that of Louis XIV through the banker Jabach. 

Today, Caravaggio's work at the Louvre stands as one of the most famous depictions of the Virgin's passing, admired daily by thousands of visitors struck by the boldness and mastery of this interpretation.

The masterpiece, which arrived at the Louvre in 1814, is displayed in Room 8 of the Grande Galerie, on the first floor of the Denon Wing. It ranks among the greatest works on view in the museum.

The Death of the Virgin is one of the Louvre works mentioned in The Da Vinci Code. You can also discover the Mona Lisa, the Virgin of the Rocks, The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne, and Noli me Tangere.