RKD STUDIES

Van Honthorst spent his years of apprenticeship in Utrecht under Abraham Bloemaert (1566-1651). The date of his arrival in Italy is not known, while his return was celebrated on 26 July 1620 in his native city.¹ A drawing after Caravaggio’s Martyrdom of St Peter [10-11], with the signature and date of 1616, has often been cited as the earliest evidence of his presence in Italy.² However, as many have suggested, it seems likely that he had already been in Rome for some time before the drawing.³ In 1617 he executed St Paul Caught up into the Third Heavenas the high altarpiece for San Paolo a Termini, today’s Santa Maria della Vittoria [12]. Considering that Caravaggio himself had needed some years before he obtained any public commission, it is thought unlikely that the youth from the north was able to secure one immediately after his arrival in Rome. So, it can be assumed that in 1617 he had already spent several years in Italy.

Some think that the drawing after Caravaggio’s Martyrdom of St Peter is too literal and occasionally awkward for a mature painter after his completion of major works,⁴ but the drawing may have made when he was preparing for the St Paul altarpiece, which has a rather rare subject, with one of the very few precedents being the vault fresco by Innocenzo Tacconi (1575-after 1625), after the design by Annibale Carracci (1560-1609) in the Cerasi Chapel [13].⁵ Although the completed altarpiece owed next to nothing to the fresco, Van Honthorst must have wanted to learn the iconography when he received the commission, and it would not be surprising if some advisor had referred him to the Cerasi Chapel fresco as a rare example. It may have been on that occasion that led him incidentally to copy the work of Caravaggio in the same chapel.

In addition, just as Van Baburen’s footsteps are first documented in Parma, Van Honthorst’s first altarpiece in Italy seems to have been for another city: Genoa.

He executed an altarpiece of Christ crowning Teresa of Avila for the second chapel on the left in the church of Sant’Anna in Genoa [15]. According to the church’s account, the altar itself was sculpted by Tommaso Orsolino (1587-1675), with a relief on the front of St Teresa ascending to heaven [16]. The altarpiece had been attributed to other artists such as Castellino Castello or some Neapolitan painter before Gianni Papi attributed it to Van Honthorst.⁶ He points out the stylistic and iconographic similarities with other works by the painter, and it seems highly plausible that young Gerard committed himself to the altarpiece, though Papi himself admitted that there is some weakness in the depiction, which might suggest another hand or later additions.⁷ I agree with his analysis that the work betrays the knowledge of Roman art, especially, of course, that of Caravaggio.⁸ At the same time, though, the figure of Christ seems to be indebted to his teacher, Abraham Bloemaert, in its posture and figure type. Take, for example, the Christ and the Samaritan Woman by Bloemaert [14]. As the supposed date of execution of this work ranges from 1605 to around 1617/8,⁹ and as there are just a few dated works by Bloemaert in 1610s, it is impossible to ascertain that the young Gerard knew the work before his departure for Italy. However, Christ’s clothing of blue tunic with a slight slit around the neck and reddish robe, and the rhomboid shape of the eye socket of the female protagonist, seem to be a close enough match.

12
Gerard van Honthorst
Paul's ecstatic vision, c. 1618
Rome, Santa Maria della Vittoria (Rome)

13
Innocenzo Tacconi after Annibale Carracci
Coronation of the Virgin (center); Domine qou vadis (left); Saint Paul caught up in the Third Heaven (right), c. 1600-1610
Rome, Santa Maria del Popolo

The chapel had been dedicated to other saints (Clement of Ancyla and Agathangelus of Rome) and belonged to the Chiesa family in September 1614, but a noblewoman, Maria Pavese Doria, apparently motivated by her beatification in April that year, wanted to divert it to the devotion of Teresa and requested the concession of the chapel and the necessary permission from the church authority. The permission was officially granted in October 1616. An 18th-century document discovered by Giffi suggests the possibility that the actual renovation of the chapel and preparation of a new altarpiece was proceeding even before official permission was granted.¹⁰ That would put the presumed date of execution around 1615/6, which predates the St Paul altarpiece in Rome.

If the St Teresa altarpiece was actually his first church commission in Italy, it is reasonable to assume that Van Honthorst combined the results of his recent study of Caravaggio’s style and the memory of works by his teacher, who provided altarpieces to Catholic churches. It is difficult to establish Van Honthorst’s itinerary in Italy, but he must have been to Rome before this Genovese commission, and I suppose that his stay in Genoa was only temporary. He must have visited the city in Liguria to see the site and consult with the client and would then have gone back to Rome to execute the altarpiece there and send it back to Genoa. When closely examined, the bottom of the painting seems to have been extended by about 10-15 cm. The seam of the canvases is clearly visible to the naked eye. In addition, the lowest step of the pedestal on which Christ is sitting appears a little too high relative to the shadow it casts. The extension seems to be a later addition to make the canvas fit exactly in the frame, and it would not have occurred if the painter had executed the work in Genoa. If he was there only temporarily and executed the work elsewhere, that would explain the adjustment to the size of the canvas.

The church of St. Anna in Genoa is located up a hill and appears modest at first glance, but it is significant as the first outpost of the order of the Discalced Carmelites. This fairly new branch of the Carmelites was founded by Teresa of Avila in the 1560s and was approved in a decree issued by Gregory XIII in 1580. Teresa sent Niccolò Doria, a Genovese who spent some time in Spain, to Gregory to obtain his approval and founded the church in 1584.¹¹ Seen in that light, Van Honthorst’s altarpiece had great significance, not only as one of the earliest altarpieces adorning the order’s first foreign foothold, but also as one of the earliest depictions of the founder, Teresa of Avila. Compared to other images of her, such as a painting by Rubens [17], her iconography appears to be well-established.¹² She invariably wears the habit of the order, is depicted in advanced age, with an emphasis on her sincerity and austere nature. It can therefore be assumed, at least, that Van Honthorst consulted the clergy of the order regarding her iconography, even though it is not known whether it was the clergy or Maria Pavese Doria who commissioned and paid the painter.

16
Tommaso Orsolino
Altar of the chapel of St Teresa, Sant’Anna, Genoa

17
Peter Paul Rubens
Saint Teresa of Avila's vision of the dove, c. 1614
Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen