Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto

Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto is the only known ceiling paintings by the Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Year after Ebert Schifferer 1599th Caravaggio painted this painting for his patron Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte on the ceiling of a chamber Alchemist (now a corridor) in the Casino Ludovisi Boncompagni in the Villa Ludovisi, Rome. It is painted with oil paints directly on the plaster, an unusual technique, as it promised a little durability of the artwork was in contrast to the fresco but is associated with less effort and could be carried out especially quickly, which the restless temperament Caravaggio came to meet well.

Early biographers According to Caravaggio wanted in this work his critics who accused him of having no sense of perspective views, to prove that he indeed had sufficient talent for such academic painting techniques, even if he in his works mostly for unnecessary or even counterproductive and held more sat on the still new, then very unusual effect of Chiaroscuros what could cause similar dynamics and drama in the picture as sophisticated perspective tricks, the image content, however, was able to transport even more emotional. The three figures of this painting in any case demonstrate a level of dramatic shortening as it is pronounced hard to imagine. Even the allegation that he could only paint directly from the live model, he wanted to refute this painting. Here he worked namely with preliminary drawings, which are not obtained.

In the painting, the three gods Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto are shown as an allusion to the alchemical interest of the Cardinal: Jupiter is sulfur and air, Neptune and Pluto for mercury and water for salt and earth. Distinguishable are the gods by their associated animals: Jupiter with the eagle, Neptune and Pluto with the seahorse with the three-headed dog Kerberos.

The casino with the ceiling painting can only be visited on request.

Itemization

• Paintings (16th century)
• Wall painting
• Mythology in the visual arts
• Reception of Roman mythology
• Caravaggio
• Jupiter ( mythology)
• Neptune ( mythology)