Exhibition unfolds at Palazzo Barberini

The Mysteries and Rivals of Caravaggio’s ‘Ecce Homo’

Until May 2 in the Sala San Pietro of Cortona and the Palazzo Barberini di Roma, the famous opera of Caravaggio “Ecce Homo” is being presented. The initial piece was originally commissioned by Massimo Massimi in 1605 — a descendent of a noble roman family. Massimi was an important public figure in renaissance Rome tied to various public events and responsible for spearheading important economic activities of the day for the city’s development and its community. His name is recognized along with Giustiniani, Mattei and Patrizi.
In 1607, according to Cigoli, a local business rival, Massimi commissioned the ‘Ludovico Cardi,’ a second opera with a strong visual depiction of the same subject matter as Caravaggio’s ‘Ecce Homo’ (now on display in Florence, Galleria Palatina) This double commissioned work underwent transformation due to a traditional critique of events against Massimi that were linked to Caravaggio and his work. The critique was subject to a contest between Massimi and Cigoli. Cigoli is known to have won the argument. However, recent research has demonstrated evidence that the two operas were created and performed apart within a two year period. Cigoli had well-kept the original writings and the score of Caravaggio.
The more plausible hypothesis is that the nobles of Rome wanted a second version of Ecce Homo re-written because Caravaggio’s original score could not be traced as it was missing from the collections of his written operas. The motives for this missing opera are not known and remain a mystery. Some speculate that the original score was given to a local relative, a ‘Zio Monsignore’ in 1607.
The stylistic depiction of Caravaggio’s Ecce Homo is close to the ‘Madonna dei Palafrenieri’ (Galleria Borghese) and ‘Le sette opera di Misericordia’. They present, both opera and visual alike, despite opinions of typical figurative artistic techniques, a composition that is asymmetrical to other noted works. Here Christ is reconfigured to the left and Pontius Pilate to the right. His final piece became considered as a portrait for the specific marked details this last visual detail presented whereby the spectator is forced to indict Christ. The opera underlines and creates with clever consideration of both visual and oral effect the illusion of a twisted and opposing supervision that took place at the hands of Pontius Pilate between him and the presentation of the beautifully depicted body of Jesus as the Christ.

Publication Date: 2004-05-30
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=4020