Cecco del Caravaggio (active – mid-1620s) is the ''
Notname
In art history, a (, "name of necessity" or "contingency name") is an invented name given to an artist whose identity has been lost. The practice arose from the need to give such artists and their typically untitled or generically titled works a ...
'' given to a painter who worked in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
in the early decades of the
17th century
The 17th century lasted from January 1, 1601 (represented by the Roman numerals MDCI), to December 31, 1700 (MDCC).
It falls into the early modern period of Europe and in that continent (whose impact on the world was increasing) was characterized ...
and was an important early follower of
Caravaggio
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...
(1571–1610). In the past art historians have suggested he may have been a Flemish, French or
Spanish
Caravaggist but more recently some have identified the artist with Francesco Boneri (or Buoneri), although this is not universally accepted.
[Michael J. Radwin, ''Cecco del Caravaggio’s Resurrection'']
/ref> In his work the artist responded in a very individual and original manner to Caravaggio's naturalism.["Caravaggio, Cecco del." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 12 May 2017]
Life
Little is known about Cecco del Caravaggio. His active period appears to have been from 1610 to the mid 1620s.[ The name "Cecco" is a ]diminutive
A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...
of "Francesco". In his guide to contemporary artists written for fellow-collectors in about 1620 entitled ''Considerazioni sulla Pittura'', Giulio Mancini
Giulio Mancini (21 February 1559 – 22 August 1630) was a seicento physician, art collector, art dealer and writer on a range of subjects. His writings on contemporary artists like Caravaggio and Annibale Carracci remain one of our earliest sourc ...
mentions a ("Francesco, known as 'Cecco del Caravaggio'") as one of the great master's more noteworthy followers. A 'Cecco' is recorded among French artists working with Agostino Tassi at Bagnaia in 1613–15, and hence the artist has been thought to be of French origin. Other scholars have detected a Spanish or even Flemish influence. In 2001 the scholar Gianni Papi identified this Cecco del Caravaggio as the Lombard artist Francesco Boneri (or Buoneri), and this now seems to be generally although not universally accepted.[
An identification has also been made between Francesco Boneri/Cecco del Caravaggio and the boy who modeled for a number of paintings done by Caravaggio in the period 1600/1606, including the famous '' Amor Vincit'' and the '']John the Baptist
John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...
'' in the Capitoline Museum in Rome. The identification is based on the statements found in early authors that the model for ''Amor Vincit'' was a boy named Cecco who was also Caravaggio's servant and possibly pupil.
Work
None of Cecco's works are signed or dated and hence his oeuvre is difficult to identify and date. He is associated with a number of genre pieces, portraits and religious works showing a clear debt to Caravaggio. He had an interest in depictions of low life themes but also painted religious compositions.Early Follower of Caravaggio (Cecco del Caravaggio), Working early 17th century, ''The guitar player and the flute player''
/ref> His important religious works include ''Resurrection
Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...
''(Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...
) and ''Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple'' (Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
The (, Painting Gallery) is an art museum in Berlin, Germany, and the museum where the main selection of paintings belonging to the Berlin State Museums (''Staatliche Museen zu Berlin'') is displayed. It was first opened in 1830, and the cur ...
).[
The key influence on Cecco was Caravaggio, but other Caravaggisti such as ]Bartolomeo Manfredi
Bartolomeo Manfredi (baptised 25 August 1582 – 12 December 1622) was an Italian painter, a leading member of the Caravaggisti (followers of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio) of the early 17th century.
Life
Manfredi was born in Ostiano, ...
formed an additional influence. His style exhibits common traits with the works of these other Caravaggisti such as the depiction of large, solid figures, strong contrasts between light and dark and complex drapery folds.[
]
Gallery
File:Cecco Guardian.jpg, ''Guardian angel''
File:A Musician by Francesco Buoneri called Cecco del Caravaggio.jpg, ''A musician''
File:Cecco Woman.jpg, ''Woman with a Dove''
File:Cecco Fluteplayer.jpg, ''Fluteplayer''
File:Caduta di Cristo lungo la salita al Calvario - Boneri.jpg, ''Christ falls on the road to Calvary''
File:CeccodelCaravaggio-DecollazionedelBattista.jpg, ''Beheading of St. John the Baptist''
References
Further reading
*
* Gianni Papi, ''Cecco del Caravaggio'' (illustrated edition), Kira, 2023. ISBN 978-8857249384. (Exhibition catalogue).
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caravaggio, Cecco del
17th-century Italian painters
Italian male painters
Italian Baroque painters
Italian artists' models
Caravaggio
Caravaggisti