Humility Subdues Pride - October 13, 2016
The incredible twists of time and fate never fail to engage. Nearing the end of a very long scholarly book on Caravaggio where things get worse by every chapter, the long discussion of his David and Goliath and the dark story maze behind it relates to our moment in time ... a mythical one played over and over.
Caravaggio paints himself as the head (there was a bounty on his head for murder) and sent the painting as a gift to a Borghese - nephew of the then pope, a collector, cardinal, and magistrate who had the power to make the painter's life go better. Borghese kept the painting and added it to the largest collection of Caravaggios, the others stolen from collectors too weak for his magisterial powers or given as gifts by the criminal artist.
The sword has an inscription that means "humility kills pride". It would be refreshing to see this homily come to reality in our day.
Caravaggio paints himself as the head (there was a bounty on his head for murder) and sent the painting as a gift to a Borghese - nephew of the then pope, a collector, cardinal, and magistrate who had the power to make the painter's life go better. Borghese kept the painting and added it to the largest collection of Caravaggios, the others stolen from collectors too weak for his magisterial powers or given as gifts by the criminal artist.
The sword has an inscription that means "humility kills pride". It would be refreshing to see this homily come to reality in our day.
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| David and Goliath - Caravaggio 1607 |
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