The Last Caravaggio

Interesting exhibition at the National Gallery focusing on Caravaggio’s “The Martyrdom of St Ursula”.

Painted in 1610 this is Caravaggio’s last painting which is on loan from Naples. It was shown with the gallery’s own “Beheading of John the Baptist” of a similar date as well as a letter found in the Naples archive in 1980 which authenticated the work and accounts of his death from two early biographies of the artist.

When I went, quite early in the run of the show, it was very busy with a confusing queuing system up the stairs. It was all a bit of a scrum! I was pleased to see it was popular but it left little mental space to commune with the work.

I had actually seen the work just a few months earlier in Naples where I had managed to spend some quiet time with it. A much better experience.

Closed 24 July 2024


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