The Last Caravaggio

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula . 1610, Gallerie d’Italia, Naples.

In the final months before his death in mysterious circumstances in 1610, Caravaggio made some of his most striking works. The artist, who was well-known for his violent character, was forced to flee Rome in 1606 after killing a man, and since then he had bounced between Naples, Malta and Sicily, returning to Naples in 1609. His last-known work, The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula (1610, Gallerie d’Italia, Naples), is now on display in London for the first time in 20 years. It is characteristic of his naturalistic style with real-life models, tight cropping and dramatic lighting. The display (entry to which is free) includes the letter that describes the work’s creation (Archivio di Stato, Naples), and the National Gallery’s own late Caravaggio, Salome with the Head of John the Baptist (about 1609–10).