The Calling of Saint Matthew

Painted for a chapel, still in place

The Calling of Saint Matthew hangs in the Contarelli Chapel of the church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, the French national church. It was painted in 1599 to 1600, together with The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew on the opposite wall.

It was Caravaggio’s first major public commission. Until then he had painted mostly smaller pictures for private collectors. Unveiled in 1600, the two canvases made him famous almost overnight.

Unlike most famous paintings of its time, it is not in a museum. It can still be seen in the setting it was made for, lit by the chapel’s own light.

Christ points from the shadows

The story comes from the Gospel of Matthew: Jesus sees a tax collector named Matthew sitting at his table and tells him, “Follow me.” Matthew gets up and follows.

At the right, Christ stands half hidden behind Saint Peter. Only his face, a thin halo and his outstretched hand are clearly visible. The gesture of the hand, relaxed and pointing, is often compared with the hand of Adam in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling. That connection is a common interpretation rather than a documented intention.

Which man is Matthew?

Around the table sit five figures. A bearded man in the centre points, apparently towards himself, as if asking “Me?” He has traditionally been identified as Matthew.

Some scholars argue instead that Matthew is the young man at the far left, bent over the table counting coins and not yet looking up. In that reading, the bearded man points at him. The painting allows both interpretations, and the debate is still open.

A beam of light crosses the wall

A strong diagonal beam enters from the upper right, above Christ’s head, and falls across the faces at the table. It is not coming from the window in the painting, which is dark and closed. It seems to arrive with Christ himself.

That beam is both natural and symbolic. It reveals the figures in the dim room and also represents the call that reaches Matthew. Caravaggio used light in this double way throughout his religious paintings.

Modern clothes, ancient story

The men at the table wear the clothes of Caravaggio’s own time: feathered hats, slashed sleeves, swords at the belt. Only Christ and Peter wear robes. The setting is a bare room with a shuttered window, more like a Roman tavern or counting house than a biblical scene.

By placing the call in a contemporary setting, Caravaggio made the story immediate. The viewer in 1600 could recognise these people from the streets outside.

The Contarelli commission

The chapel was founded by the French cardinal Matthieu Cointrel, known in Italian as Contarelli, who left money for its decoration when he died in 1585. For years the work was delayed. Through the influence of Cardinal del Monte, Caravaggio’s patron, the young painter was finally given the commission in 1599.

He painted two large side canvases, The Calling and The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew, and later an altarpiece of Saint Matthew and the Angel. The paintings caused a sensation in Rome and made Caravaggio famous almost overnight.

The scene in the Gospel

The Gospel of Matthew tells the story briefly: Jesus saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office and said to him, “Follow me.” Matthew rose and followed him. Tax collectors were despised in ancient Judea, seen as collaborators with Rome and as greedy. Christ calling such a man showed that grace was open to everyone.

A hand borrowed from Michelangelo

Christ’s pointing hand, at the right, closely resembles Adam’s hand in Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam on the Sistine ceiling. Caravaggio seems to have quoted it deliberately. The reference links Matthew’s calling to the creation of humanity: just as God gave life to Adam, Christ gives new spiritual life to Matthew.

The debate about Matthew

For centuries, viewers assumed Matthew was the bearded man pointing to himself, as if asking “Me?”. Some historians now argue that Matthew is the young man at the end of the table, bent over the coins, who has not yet looked up. The bearded man would then be pointing at him. The debate is still open, and both readings change the meaning of the scene.

Where to see it

The Calling of Saint Matthew still hangs in the Contarelli Chapel of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, where it was placed in 1600. Visitors can see it for free, lit by coin-operated lights. Our hand-painted oil reproduction follows this composition. For more masterpieces, explore our top 100 most famous paintings.

Questions about The Calling of Saint Matthew

Where is the painting?

In the Contarelli Chapel of San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome, where it was originally installed.

When was it painted?

In 1599 to 1600.

Which figure is Matthew?

Traditionally the bearded man pointing at himself, though some scholars believe it is the young man counting coins at the end of the table.

How large is it?

About 322 × 340 centimetres, oil on canvas.

Is the painting still in its original place?

Yes, in the Contarelli Chapel of San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome.

Whose hand does Christ’s gesture recall?

Adam’s hand in Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam.

Sources and image credit

• San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome
• Wikimedia Commons: The Calling of Saint Matthew

Faithful public-domain reproduction of The Calling of Saint Matthew (1599 to 1600), via Wikimedia Commons. Detail images are crops of the same historical painting; no reconstruction or upscaling.