Jürgen Müller: Who is Matthew? A New Interpretation of Caravaggio’s Calling of St. Matthew in the Contarelli Chapel

In research on Caravaggio's Calling of St. Matthew, the question of who the jesus younger could be is still debated today. Is it the bearded man in the middle of the table, pointing to his chest as if to ask, am I meant? Or is it the young tax collector at the left end of the table who, unnoticed, is about to steal money? The essay puts forward a new hypothesis in this respect and aims to show how Caravaggio deliberately misleads the viewer. Numerous previously unconsidered textual and pictorial sources are added to the discussion in order to solve the riddle of who is called. In doing so, the argumentation draws on central texts by Erasmus of Rotterdam, which were already available in Italian translations in the first half of the 16th century.

Prof. Dr. Jürgen Müller holds the chair of early modern and modern Art History at the TU Dresden. His work focuses on early modern art, photography and film. He has written numerous books and articles. He has also curated exhibitions and worked as an art critic for national newspapers.