RKD STUDIES

It should be noted that after the Genovese commission Van Honthorst maintained a close connection with the Discalced Carmelites. The aforementioned St Paul Caught up into the Third Heaven [12], was meant to be the high altarpiece of San Paolo a Termini, another of the order’s churches [18]. Its construction began in 1607, and it was inaugurated on 7 November 1612.¹ The following year, with a brief by Pope Paul V (1550-1621) it became the headquarters of the order’s missions dedicated to the Conversion of St Paul.² The altarpiece, which now hangs in the vestry, is one of his largest works. His Christ Crowning Teresa was probably highly appreciated, and its reputation would have led to his next commission.

In the middle of the picture, St Paul dressed in slightly greenish grey garment with red robe around his waist, is looking upwards at God, who is alluded to as the lozenge-shaped opening in the sky. Paul’s arms are raised as if showing his surprize, and around him there are four joyous angels, of which two are holding his sword wrapped in the blue cloth. Behind him, several angels playing music in a semicircle, while two angels at the top appear to be drawing back the clouds as if to welcome the saint. As already noted, the subject is quite new, and Van Honthorst seems to have tried to stress the ecstatic nature of the scene introducing music and a tempered but diffused golden light. In addition, there is a clear similarity to the iconography of the Assumption of the Virgin. The upward gaze and gesture of the hands, in particular, are reminiscent of Titian’s treatment of that subject [19], which is one of the most ecstatic renderings of the Assumption in high Renaissance.

The altarpiece of St. Paul was long thought to be a work for Scipione Borghese (1576-1633), a powerful cardinal nephew of Pope Paul V, partly because that family was behind the construction of the church and the subject matter honours the Pope’s name saint in a splendid way.³ However, Lorizzo and Megna have shown that some payment records once connected with the Beheading of John the Baptist actually refer to the altarpiece of St Paul.⁴ As a result, the date of the altarpiece is confirmed to be 1617, and the fact that the payment was made by the Carmelite Order based in St. Maria della Scala rules out the possibility of a direct commission by the Borghese. Lorizzo also explains that a donation by Michele Peretti, brother of Cardinal Montalto, was used for the payment.⁵ In addition, both scholars proposed Father Domenico di Gesù Maria (1559-1630), leader of the Discalced Carmelites and a Spaniard, as the actual client.

It should be noted, however, that although the Borghese were not the direct patrons, the work must have had something to do with glorification of Pope Paul V. After his death, the dedication of the church was diverted to the Virgin on the premise that gratitude should be shown to her miraculous image that led the Catholic army to victory in the war against the Protestants in Bohemia (hence the current name of the church, Santa Maria della Vittoria). The church of San Paolo must have been too strongly connected with the Borghese Pope. And when Guercino (1591-1666) was commissioned to make a ceiling painting for the church of St Chrysogonus in 1622 [20], he seems to have alluded to the work by Van Honthorst, using a very similar gesture for the saint in the sky. As the church was funded by Scipione Borghese,⁶ who was also a cardinal priest at the time of the commission, Guercino might have been paying homage to the image strongly associated with the recently deceased Pope.

But that does not mark the end of the connection between the order and the Dutch painter. Shortly after or at roughly the same time as the St Paul altarpiece, he made another one, the Beheading of St John the Baptist [21],⁷ for a chapel in Santa Maria della Scala. The church was allocated to the Discalced Carmelites by a bull of 1597.⁸ The chapel belonged to Giovanni Battista Longhi, who dedicated it to his name saint. However, the decoration of the chapel did not begin until after his death. The task was completed by Maurizio Sanzio, the executor of his will. It is not known whether Sanzio himself commissioned the Dutch painter, or perhaps consulted the church authorities for a suitable candidate. Longhi’s estate must have funded most of the expense, but the church paid for the purchase of ultramarine and a bonus for completion of the work in July 1618 and January 1619 respectively,⁹ so, it can be assumed that the clergy also contributed to the project.

In the painting, which was placed a little lower down than the major altarpiece, Van Honthorst paid far closer attention to the details than in the St Paul altarpiece. That applies to the metal basin held by Salome, to the texture of the fur lining of the old woman’s sleeve, and to St John’s loincloth. While he explores the effects of light and shadow fully with a torch and a lantern, he also aimed for detailed diversity in the depiction of garments. It belongs to one of his most ambitious works.

19
Tiziano
The assumption of the Virgin, 1515-18
Venice, Galleria dell'Accademia Venezia

20
Guercino
Saint Chrysogonus borne to heaven by angels, 1622
London (England), Government Art Collection

21
Gerard van Honthorst
The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, c. 1617-1618
Rome, Santa Maria della Scala (Rome)