Believed to have been lost for centuries and rediscovered in 2014 in a private collection, Italian baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s Mary Magdalen in Ecstasy is now travelling to India. It will be unveiled at the Italian Cultural Centre in the presence of Italian Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, during his visit to New Delhi later this week.
From April 17 to May 18, it will be on view at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Saket. “It’s the first time for a Caravaggio painting in India. This landmark exhibition offers a rare opportunity to experience the mastery of one of the Baroque era’s most influential artists. Caravaggio upended the traditional canons of his time, introducing in his works models from real life and a cinematic lighting,” stated Italian Ambassador to India Antonio Bartoli.
Painted in 1606, when he was in hiding at the estates of the Colonna family after fleeing Rome following the death sentence for killing a man, this is one of the several masterpieces painted by Caravaggio during the period. Known only through its references for centuries, in 2014 the rediscovered work was authenticated by art historian Mina Gregori, who has written several books on Caravaggio.
Depicting Mary Magdalene — a devout follower of Christ who is recognised as the first to witness his resurrection — the work shows her alone, bathed in light as she bends backward. According to legend, she travelled to a cave in the Sainte-Baume mountain range in France, where she spent the last 30 years of her life.
At the KNMA, the display of the artwork will be accompanied by curated discussions, screening of a series of documentaries and a VR experience on Caravaggio. Kiran Nadar, founder and chairperson of KNMA, stated: “Well-aligned with KNMA’s mission to facilitate cross-cultural dialogue and expand access to transformative artistic experiences, this project offers a rare opportunity to our local audiences in particular, to view a Caravaggio painting, and encounter an artistic lineage that has fascinated generations of Indian artists. The arrival of Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy marks a significant moment in India’s engagement with classical European art, drawing our attention to painterly feats in easel painting in oil, the use of a dramatic chiaroscuro and mysterious lighting in their portraiture and narrative paintings.”
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