Description
The Calling of Saint Matthew is Caravaggio’s painting of 1599–1600 of a moment from the Gospel of Matthew: Jesus walks into a dark room, points at the tax collector Matthew at a table with coins on it and calls him to follow. The original, oil on canvas, 322 cm high and 340 cm wide, still hangs where it was made to hang, in the Contarelli Chapel of the church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome. Our painter paints it by hand in oil on canvas in 6 almost square landscape sizes, from 110 x 107 to 250 x 225 cm, or to your own measurement, and we send you a photograph of the finished painting before dispatch.
| Title: | The Calling of Saint Matthew |
| Other titles: | Vocazione di san Matteo · Die Berufung des heiligen Matthäus |
| Painter: | Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610) |
| Year painted: | 1599–1600, Rome |
| Original size: | 322 cm x 340 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Painting style: | Baroque, tenebrism |
| Located at: | Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas, 6 sizes or made to measure |
The Calling of Saint Matthew – Caravaggio
What does The Calling of Saint Matthew show?
The scene is set in a bare, dim room. At a table on the left sit five men dressed as Caravaggio’s contemporaries: feathered hats, slashed sleeves, and one of them wears a sword. Coins lie on the table, because Matthew collected taxes.
From the right, Jesus and Saint Peter come in. Jesus stretches out his arm and points towards the table. Light falls from the upper right, slanting across the wall, and catches the faces of the seated men as if it followed his gesture. High on the wall above the table is a window with its shutters open.
Which one is Matthew? Most art historians see him in the bearded man in the centre, who points to his own chest as if to ask, “Me?” Another reading finds Matthew in the young man at the far left, bent over the coins he is counting.
What story does the painting tell?
The episode is in the Gospel of Matthew (9:9). Jesus passes the tax booth, sees Matthew sitting there and says to him, “Follow me.” Matthew gets up and follows him.
Caravaggio does not paint Matthew rising, but the instant before: the call has been spoken, the coins are still on the table and Matthew is still seated. The viewer faces the choice together with him.
Instead of a miracle among clouds there is an ordinary table, everyday clothes and a man addressed in the middle of his work. That ordinariness is what keeps the story close to anyone who looks at it today.
Why is The Calling of Saint Matthew so famous?
It was Caravaggio’s first major church commission and his first painting with more than a handful of figures. His patron, Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte, obtained the commission for him.
It is famous for its light, too. The hard edge between light and dark, called chiaroscuro or tenebrism, and the naturalism of the faces give the scene a force you feel at once. Christ’s outstretched hand is often compared with Adam’s hand in Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam in the Sistine Chapel.
Pope Francis has said that as a young man he often went to San Luigi to look at this very painting. You can read more in the Wikipedia article.
Where does the original hang?
In Rome, in the Contarelli Chapel of San Luigi dei Francesi, the chapel it was painted for. It belongs to no museum and has no inventory number; you see it in the church, on the wall it was made for.
The chapel was decorated thanks to Cardinal Matthieu Cointerel (Contarelli in Italian), who left money in his will for scenes from the life of his namesake, Saint Matthew. The commission dates from July 1599 and the final payment from July 1600, hence the date 1599–1600.
The Calling hangs opposite The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew, and on the altar between them is The Inspiration of Saint Matthew of 1602. All three are by Caravaggio, so the chapel tells Matthew’s story from his calling to his death.
The Calling of Saint Matthew or another Caravaggio?
This canvas painting suits people who enjoy scenes with several figures and a story that rewards a long look: a dining room, a library, a study or a hallway with a high ceiling. Because everything happens around a table, it fits a room where the family gathers.
If you are looking for another moment when Christ speaks to a man, there is The Conversion of Saint Paul. A quiet, grieving group comes with The Entombment of Christ, and a single thoughtful figure with Penitent Magdalene.
The Caravaggio page gathers all the famous Caravaggio paintings we paint to order.
How does our painter paint your Calling of Saint Matthew?
This Caravaggio reproduction is made to order, layer by layer, in oil on canvas. The painter first lays in the dark ground and the slanting band of light that carries the whole composition, and only then the faces, hands and coins.
Three accents need the most care: Christ’s hand, the lit faces at the table and Matthew’s gesture towards his own chest. Then come the feathers on the hats, the folds of the sleeves and the metallic gleam of the sword. Built up like this, an oil painting reproduction has a depth of colour that no print on paper reaches.
If you like the way Caravaggio pulls a single figure out of the dark, take a look at Narcissus as well.
Which size for which wall?
In short: 110 x 107 cm above a chest of drawers or in a hallway, 130 x 117 and 150 x 138 cm above a sofa or a dining table, 175 x 161 and 200 x 180 cm for a large living-room wall, and 250 x 225 cm for a high room, a stairwell or an entrance hall.
There are 6 landscape sizes (width x height): 110 x 107, 130 x 117, 150 x 138, 175 x 161, 200 x 180 and 250 x 225 cm. Because the original is nearly square, our sizes are only a little wider than they are high. As a painting for the living room above a sofa about two metres wide, 150 x 138 cm works best.
The original is 340 cm wide, so even our largest size, 250 x 225 cm, is 90 cm narrower and 97 cm lower. The scene is full of detail; view the larger sizes, from 175 x 161 cm up, from at least three metres away.
Can I have another size or a frame?
Of course. The original is 340 : 322, almost a square, and in that ratio both Christ’s hand on the right and the young man with the coins on the left stay on the canvas. Send us your measurement and we will quote a price and a completion time.
We ship the painting rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or framed. Our workshop in Slovenia does the stretching and framing and prepares every painting before it leaves.
You choose the frame in our 3D app, which is only for choosing the frame; seeing the painting on your own wall is a separate service. Dark wood matches the dim room of the scene, while an antique gold frame brings out the warm light on the faces.
How do painting and delivery work?
We start painting The Calling of Saint Matthew only after you order, and it is ready to ship within 15 to 45 working days. Before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished painting, and if you want anything changed, we change it.
Within Slovenia and the rest of the EU the parcel travels without customs, and our returns policy applies to every order. If you would like to give it as a present but let the recipient choose the size, the wall art voucher is the answer.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see the original?
In the Contarelli Chapel of the church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, which it was painted for.
Which of the men at the table is Matthew?
Most art historians say it is the bearded man in the centre pointing at himself; others see him in the young man with the coins at the far left.
Is it a print?
No. It is a hand-painted copy in oil on canvas, made by our painter after you order.
How big is the original?
It is 322 cm high and 340 cm wide, almost square. With us you choose between sizes from 110 x 107 to 250 x 225 cm.
Is it suitable for a bedroom or as a gift?
The scene is calm and free of violence, so it suits a bedroom, a living room or a dining room; as a gift it is right for a lover of the Baroque or for someone close to this Gospel story.
What does Christ’s outstretched hand mean?
It is the call to Matthew to follow him. It is often compared with Adam’s hand in Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam.
Can I order a size that is not listed?
Yes. Tell us the size you need and we will send you a quote.
How long does delivery take?
The painting is ready to ship within 15 to 45 working days, and we send you a photograph of it first.
- Subject: in a dark room Jesus calls the tax collector Matthew, seated with other men at a table with coins.
- Original: 1599–1600, oil on canvas, 322 x 340 cm, Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome.
- Ours: painted by hand in oil on canvas, in 6 landscape sizes from 110 x 107 to 250 x 225 cm or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: the original still hangs in the chapel Caravaggio painted it for.
