July 31, 2018 will mark 10 years since a painting (or a copy thereof) by the Italian artist, founder of realism in painting Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610) “The Taking of Christ into custody, or the Kiss of Judas” was stolen from the Odessa Museum of Western and Eastern Art .
On June 25, 2010, a priceless piece of Baroque art, estimated by experts to be worth $100 million, was intercepted in Berlin when possible thieves (three Ukrainians and one Russian) tried to sell it to a local collector.
In August of the same year, the Germans transferred the painting to Ukraine, but it never reached its “native” Odessa - it “settled” in the capital’s National Research Institute restoration center Ukraine. In the status of “material evidence” in a case of kidnapping and smuggling, which has been considered in the Podolsk District Court of Kyiv for the eighth year.
Priceless Caravaggio became “material evidence”
Since Caravaggio’s painting became “physical evidence,” the court banned its restoration. The Odessa Museum is trying to cancel it. The fact is that during the abduction, the criminals cut the painting out of the stretcher, and instead of being in a stretched state, it was stored like a scroll.
Because of this, the canvas shrunk, microcracks appeared on it, and the paint began to crumble. After “The Judas Kiss” ended up in the hands of the German authorities, the Berlin Art Gallery began its restoration, which they did not have time to complete, returning it to Ukraine.
Currently, the painting is kept under guard at the National Restoration Center: in a separate, adapted room with natural light, unfolded on a table. As soon as the court gives the go-ahead, specialists are ready to immediately begin restoration.
The Odessa Museum long ago transferred to Kyiv the edges of the canvas that remained on the frame after the painting (size 134x172.5 cm) was cut out by thieves. They can be “fused” with the canvas, and then it needs to be stretched.
In response to persistent requests from the leaders of the Odessa Museum, in February 2018, the Podolsk District Court ordered an inspection of the condition of the painting and the conditions of its storage. Representatives of the restoration center must report to the court hall. Perhaps they will be able to convince Themis to allow them to begin saving the national treasure.
Odessa “Kiss of Judas” - Caravaggio or a copy?
It is still not known whether the painting intercepted in Germany is an original by Caravaggio. The National Restoration Center calls it just that: “a painting attributed to the brush of Caravaggio.”
For a long time, the Odessa “Taking Christ into Custody” was considered an author’s copy or original work Italian. The National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin strongly disagreed with the latter statement.
Caravaggio painted “The Taking of Christ into Custody, or the Kiss of Judas” in 1602 by order of the Roman nobleman Chiriaco Mattei for 125 gold coins. In the 18th century, the painting disappeared, but in 1990 it was found by the chief restorer of the National Gallery of Ireland, Sergio Benedetti. He identified the masterpiece in a painting hanging since the 1930s in the refectory of the Society of Jesus in Dublin. Later, Caravaggio’s brush was confirmed in the laboratory of the National Gallery in London.
Before this, it was believed that the Jesuits had a copy of the lost original by Gerard van Honthorst, one of Caravaggio’s Dutch followers. The Society of Jesus has given The Kiss of Judas on perpetual loan to the Dublin Gallery.
"The Kiss of Judas" by Caravaggio from the National Gallery of Ireland
The history of the Odessa “Kiss of Judas” begins in 1870, when the famous Russian diplomat and collector Alexander Bazilevsky presented the painting to Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich. Later the canvas was transferred to Odessa art school, and after the Bolsheviks came to power in the 20s - the Gallery of Ancient Painting, which later became the Museum of Western and Eastern Art.
In the 1950s, the head of the department Western European art State Museum of Fine Arts named after Pushkin, Ksenia Malitskaya identified the work of Caravaggio in “The Kiss of Judas.”
After the original painting was declared in Dublin, the Odessa Museum claimed that they had an original copy of Caravaggio himself. Experts agree that this is indeed a copy famous painting(at least 12 of them are known), dating back to the 17th century.
In 2012, Tatyana Bychko, deputy director of the National Research Center for Restoration, where the painting is now located, said that the Hermitage had denied that the Odessa Kiss of Judas was painted by Caravaggio. In 1954, this painting was restored in the Grabar workshops of the St. Petersburg Museum. And they believe that the manner of its writing is very different from the style of Caravaggio. This is confirmed by X-ray examination.
“The Kiss of Judas” by Caravaggio from the Odessa Museum of Western and Eastern Art Be that as it may, art historians are inclined to believe that the Odessa “Kiss of Judas” was written by Italian artist Giovanni di Atilli 10 years after the death of Caravaggio. For this copy he received 12 gold from Asdrubale Mattei, the brother of Chiriaco Mattei, owner of the original from Caravaggio. There is an entry to this effect in Mattei's books.
Proving that it was Caravaggio who painted this or that picture, and not his many followers and imitators, is a huge problem. The master had a huge influence on European fine arts XVIII century, and artists diligently replicated his works.
A few years ago the market shook loud scandal, when the former owner of a copy of Caravaggio’s painting “Rounders” was suing the Sotheby’s auction house. The Thwaites family from Great Britain acquired this painting in 1962 as the work of a student of the great master. In 2006, Bill Thwaites approached Sotheby's to sell a painting he had inherited. Experts auction house studied it and declared that it was the work of an unknown author dating back to the period of the “Old Masters” - Western European artists before the beginning of the 18th century. “Rounders” was bought by Orietta Adam for £42,000.
Some time later, her friend, the famous collector Sir Dennis Mahon, announced that it was a work by Caravaggio from 1595, worth at least 10 million pounds sterling. They say this was established by an examination. Cheap Thwaites filed for auction house to court, accusing him of poor-quality examination. After considering the claim, the court rejected his claims on the basis of lack of confirmation that this work really belong to the brushes of Caravaggio. By the way, “Rounder” (circa 1594) is in the list of paintings by the master.
Talented brawler
Michelangelo Merisi, who took the nickname Caravaggio, had a very difficult biography. Even in his youth, the talented painter was known as a hot-tempered brawler, had a reputation as a gambler and brawler, was repeatedly convicted of murder, and spent several years in exile.
His contemporaries did not immediately accept his work: the artist emphasized the separation of shadows from light, which gave a three-dimensional image of people and objects; he chose people from the street as the heroes of his works and showed life without embellishment - as it is. In addition, the saints in the paintings on biblical stories Caravaggio made them look too much like ordinary people, which the churchmen really didn’t like. Because of this, many orders that the Roman Catholic Church gave him were rejected; they were bought out by the artist’s “sponsors” and patrons.
"Kiss of Judas"- a painting by Caravaggio, the original of which is in Dublin, and a repetition was the subject of a high-profile theft from the Odessa Museum.
Plot
The plot of the film is based on the messages of the evangelists about the last days of the earthly life of Jesus Christ. Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' disciples, betrayed him by revealing his whereabouts and pointing him out to the guards when Christ was leaving the Garden of Gethsemane.
Story
The painting was created by the artist at the request of his regular client Chiriaco Mattei. The painting was believed to have disappeared in the 18th century. In 1990, the lost masterpiece was identified by National Gallery of Ireland chief conservator Sergio Benedetti in a painting hanging in the Society of Jesus in Dublin. The discovery was published in 1993. Benedetti identified the painting and cleaned it up.
The painting, which hung in the Jesuit refectory since the early 1930s, was long believed to be a copy of a lost original by Gerard van Honthorst, one of the Dutch Caravaggists. With this attribution she came from the legacy of the Mattei family, who sold her as Honthorst in 1802 to William Hamilton Nisbet, in whose Scottish house she remained until 1921. She was then sold to Irish pediatrician Maria Leigh-Wilson, who donated her in the 1930s (probably 1934) to the Dublin Jesuits in gratitude for their support following the murder of her husband Captain Percival Leigh-Wilson by the Irish Republican Army in 1920.
At the moment, the Jesuits have provided the painting to the gallery on permanent lease.
Repetition in Odessa
The Odessa painting required restoration after its return
The painting “The Kiss of Judas” was stolen from the Odessa Museum of Western European and Oriental Art on July 30, 2008. For a long time it was considered an author’s repetition or even an original (with which the Dublin Museum did not agree).
It was discovered in Berlin. On July 25, 2010, the German Federal Criminal Police detained 4 members of an international gang (1 Russian and 3 Ukrainians). About 20 more possible accomplices of the theft were arrested in Ukraine. The canvas was found when thieves tried to transfer the purchase to an underground collector. The crime was solved thanks to the introduction of a “millionaire” straw buyer.
In 2012, the Ukrainian museum agreed that the Odessa “Kiss of Judas” is not the author’s repetition of the Dublin painting. Ukrainian experts announced that now, after research, they agree with this fact, which representatives of the Irish museum had previously insisted on. Tatyana Bychko, deputy director of the National Research Center for Restoration, in whose department the painting is now located, told reporters that they had to go to the Hermitage to establish the truth. The St. Petersburg Museum, which has its own original of the great Italian (the famous “Lute Player”), in 1954 was engaged in the restoration of “The Kiss of Judas” in Grabar’s workshops and confirmed this assumption. Most likely, the painting was painted by the Italian artist Giovanni di Atilli 10 years after the death of Caravaggio. It was ordered by the brother of Chiriaco Mattei, the owner of the original, Asdrubale Mattei (the fact that such work was done is evidenced by the entries in his
After crying in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus Christ descends down the mountain and at this time the guards appear, and with them Judas Iscariot. He told the guards, “Whoever I kiss is Jesus.” Judas kissed Jesus, betraying him, after which Jesus Christ was arrested. For this Judas received 30 pieces of silver.
In Russian culture :
Precedent situation Betrayal of Judas.
Judas- symbol of betrayal ( For example : You are a real Judas, you deceived and betrayed me).
Thirty pieces of silver– situation attribute ( Why did you decide to go over to the side of my enemies? For 30 pieces of silver? Did they pay you?).
Hang on an aspen tree- an attribute of the situation (according to legend, Judas, after the betrayal of Jesus Christ, hanged himself on an aspen tree.
Kiss of Judas– Judas betrays Jesus Christ to the guards, kissing him on the cheek so that they understand that this is Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Peter, as Jesus Christ predicted in the Last Supper, also denied Jesus three times even before the first rooster, saying that he did not know him (A.P. Chekhov in the story “The Student” compares the act of his student hero with the act of Peter, who repents of having betrayed his teacher) (Chekhov “Student”).
ICON"The Last Supper, Washing of the Feet, Prayer for the Cup, Tradition Judas"Double-sided icon-tablet Late XV - early XVI centuries. 24 = 19.5 cm Novgorod.
Nikolay Ge. Conscience. Judas. (1891 ).
Nikolay Ge. "Conscience. Judas" (1891). Judas here is no longer the same as in the work “The Last Supper” of 1863. Pitiful, as if diminished, he stands on the road and watches as the guards take away the One Whom he betrayed. At first Ge thought about how to convey the face of Judas, and then decided to show him from the back. Here is what the artist himself said about this: “The face of Judas is not important (...) It is impossible to understand Judas if his crime is not before us, the meaning of which for him is moving away from the Ideal.”
M. Caravaggio. Taking Christ into custody (kissing Judas)
circa 1598, Dublin, National Gallery of Ireland
Christ on trial before Pontius Pilate (“Behold the man”).
The guards arrested Jesus, who was feared by the Old Testament priests and King Herod of Judea, and brought him to trial before Pontius Pilate, the Roman procurator (governor) in Judea. Pontius Pilate talked with Jesus for a long time, and then said that Jesus was not guilty of anything and wanted to let him go. But the high priests raised the people against Jesus and began to demand that he be crucified on a shameful wooden cross along with two thieves. Pontius Pilate said famous phrase: “I am not guilty of the blood of this righteous man” and sent him to be crucified.
Nikolay Ge."What is truth?" Christ and Pilate
Bright sunlight illuminates the figure of the Roman procurator in Jude e e P O ntia Peel A ta. Pilate asks questions of Jesus. Christ, exhausted by torture, stands with his hands tied against the wall - the artist raises the historical theme of the lack of rights of the people before the authorities. The color of the picture is based on the contrast of dark and bright spots. The unpleasant figure of the judge, Pontius Pilate, is highlighted in bright colors, but all the sympathies of the audience are on the side of the suffering, but not broken Jesus. The artist emphasizes the superiority of the rejected individual over the authorities (the theme of people and power, relevant for the end of the 19th century).
However, the Bible tells the story of the trial of Jesus Christ differently. According to the Gospel of John, it was Pontius Pilate who recognized the innocence of Jesus Christ at the trial, calling Him not the self-proclaimed king of the Jews and not a man who considers himself God, as He was accused of, but simply a man. At the trial, Pontius Pilate uttered the famous phrase: “ This man » - « This is a man" ("Here is a man" ), in Latin - Ecce Homo. It was with these words that the procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate, showed the people of Jerusalem Jesus Christ, weak and beaten, dressed in scarlet and crowned with a crown of thorns (crown of suffering), wanting to arouse the compassion of the crowd for him.
On this day, Good Friday, Jesus Christ was crucified.
In world art, this biblical story is being actively developed, where it was important to show the suffering of Jesus Christ as a person. In particular, in Caravaggio’s painting, which is called “Behold the Man.”
« This is the man" Caravaggio , OK. 1605, Palazzo Rosso , Genoa
Jesus is depicted suffering, wearing a crown of thorns, digging into his skin with thorns, bloodied after scourging, in his hands a scepter (here a cane stick), on his shoulders a purple robe (royal symbols). The scene features Pontius Pilate pointing to Jesus Christ and saying the phrase “Behold the man.” His hands are folded like a cross, tied with rope. The expression of Christ's face was a problem for artists - they sought to convey his clinging to his enemies (in the Early Renaissance he could cry). Caravaggio shows His resignation to fate, loneliness, suffering, but also strength of will.
His skill in operating with light and applying shadows, as well as maximum realism combined with the tragic expression of the characters, bring the master to the fore. Caravaggio received recognition during his lifetime. The popular artist was invited to paint canvases by the rich and powerful families of Italy. He had his own students and followers who tried to paint in the same manner. They are called "Caravaggists". This inheritance gave rise to large number supposedly “author’s copies.” And the painting “The Kiss of Judas” is no exception. Happened to one of them interesting story in Odessa. Read about it, as well as about the original painting, in this article.
The theme of the taking of Christ into custody
In the Middle Ages, frescoes and church paintings were the “Bible for the illiterates.” But the accounts of the Gospels differ about the last days of Christ. John claims that Jesus Himself went out to meet the armed detachment and asked: “Whom are you looking for?” And when He identified himself, those who came to arrest Him “fell to the ground” (John 18:6). The other three evangelists tell a very different story. A detachment of soldiers was brought to Judah. There were no documents with photographs at that time, and Christ looked similar in appearance to James the Younger (in the Gospels he is also called the brother of Jesus). Therefore, the agreement was this: whoever Judas kisses must be arrested. Many artists have addressed this theme of betrayal, starting with Giotto. The fresco of this master in Padua became a Christian example. This is how the tradition arose of depicting Judas always in profile and with a black halo. But Caravaggio’s painting makes us take a different look at the events that happened two thousand years ago.
History of writing
Around 1602, the aristocratic Roman family of Mattei invited an artist who was fashionable at that time. The family owned a small art gallery. The merchants wanted to get the creation of the popular master at any cost. Caravaggio settled in the Mattei Palace and received a deposit for the work. The theme for the painting was presumably ordered by one of the members of the family - Cardinal Girolamo. And it was written in record short term- in just thirty days. But the master also received an unprecedented fee for his work - one hundred and twenty-five crowns. Caravaggio's painting "The Kiss of Judas" has long been a jewel in the Mattei family collection. It is known that the master made handwritten copies of his successful works. In addition, the students of his school echoed him. Now there are twelve paintings that replicate the original.
Composition of the painting “The Kiss of Judas”
Caravaggio's painting is painted on an elongated canvas. The artist’s innovation is manifested in the fact that human figures are depicted not in full height, but three quarters. Caravaggio remains true to himself in playing with light. The main glow comes from a source invisible to the viewer, which is located in the upper left corner. But there is also a smaller light - a lantern held by the young man on the right. Two sources, echoing each other in the darkness of the night, give the whole action a special tragedy. One of Judas's arms is somewhat shortened. This is immediately noticeable, since the rest of the figures are made with amazing realism. Insufficient artist skill? Art critics believe that this is a deliberate step. So the artist wanted to show the moral ugliness of a man who raised his hand against his Teacher. That is why the name of the painting is not “The Taking of Christ into Custody”, but “The Kiss of Judas”. Caravaggio's painting focuses specifically on the theme of betrayal. Last days Jesus fades into the background.
Caravaggio's painting: lost and found again
The Mattei family owned the painting for about two hundred years. Over time, fashion changed, brutal realism and the whirlwind of baroque passions gave way to idealistic compositions copying antiquity from the era of classicism. The painting by Caravaggio has lost its authorship in the documents of the Mattei family. When the descendants of this family began to experience financial difficulties, they decided to sell this painting. The painting was bought by member of the English Parliament Hamilton Nisbet as a work by Gerard van Honthorst. In 1921, the last representative of this Scottish family died, and the canvas under the same authorship was bought at auction by John Kemp. He resold it to Irishwoman Maria Lee-Wilson, who in 1934 donated the painting to the Jesuit consistory in Dublin. Since the painting needed restoration, the monks invited specialist Sergio Benedetti from the National Gallery of Ireland to do this work. He identified the true author. Now the canvas can be seen in Dublin, in the National Gallery.
Odessa copy
When was the fashion for Michelangelo Caravaggio, the paintings of this master were copied both by himself and by his students and followers. The sample, kept in the collection of the Museum of Western European and Oriental Art in Odessa, was commissioned by the brother of the owner of the original, Asdrubale Mattei. This is evidenced by the entry in his accounting documents. Ten years after the death of the famous master, he paid Giovanni di Atilli to copy his creation. Having acquired the painting from the Mattei family, he insisted that it was an original. This was probably the reason for the theft. The Odessa painting was stolen in July 2008. However, two years later the painting was seized from the hands of criminals in Berlin.
Mysteries of the painting
It is fraught with many secrets that have not yet been revealed by researchers. And “The Kiss of Judas” is no exception. It is believed that in one of the characters, a man with a lantern in his hands, the artist captured himself. And in this self-portrait there is nothing of vain vanity. Rather, on the contrary: the artist promotes the idea that all humanity, and he too, are guilty of the Passion of Christ.
Biblical stories: The Kiss of Judas through the eyes of artists
Judas Iscariot. This biblical name and the story associated with it have become a symbol of betrayal. Thirty pieces of silver, for which Judas agreed to tell about Jesus, is payment for this betrayal. All biblical stories have inspired representatives for two thousand years. different types art. The story of Judas, along with others, often appears on the canvases of artists.
History of the painting Caravaggio"The Kiss of Judas" is amazing in itself. The master painted it by order of Chiriaco Mattei in 1602. However, two centuries later the work disappeared. It was discovered quite recently, when in 1990 the painting was identified by the chief restorer of the National Gallery of Ireland, Sergio Benedetti. For a long time, Caravgio’s painting hung in the Society of Jesus in Dublin. It was considered a copy of the painting Dutch painter Gerard van Honthorst. The work is now in the National Gallery of Ireland.
An Italian artist, one of the most prominent representatives of the Siena school, turns to the image of Judas Duccio di Buoninsegna. Main job The altar image of the Siena Cathedral "Maesta" is considered to be the master's. Its creation dates back to the beginning of the 14th century.
The betrayal of Jesus' disciple was included in the series of works "Great Passions" Albrecht Durer. On the engraving German painter and graphics we see how the Savior is taken into custody. Judas sits and stretches out next to him. There is suffering and pain on the face of Jesus, while the traitor nervously and hastily tries to explain himself to the teacher.
The Prado Museum in Madrid houses the Kiss of Judas, written by a representative of the Neapolitan school. Giordano Luca. The traitor peers into the face of Jesus with despair. But the eyes of the son of God are closed, his head is turned, his hand reaches to his heart.
On the fresco Giotto Di Bondone drama unfolds. Illustrating the biblical story, the author uses all means artistic expression to emphasize the significance and greatness of Christ and contrast him with the ugliness and meanness of Judas. The artist confronts the high and the low, morality and its absence. The calm and confident gaze of Jesus meets the repulsive and unpleasant eyes of the traitor. Giotto enlivens the composition by surrounding the teacher and student, frozen in tension. Staticity and concentration in the center contrasts with the dynamics around.