Beyond Caravaggio: Loans from UK museums and galleries

Bringing together exceptional works by Caravaggio and the Italian, French, Flemish, Dutch, and Spanish artists he inspired, the National Gallery’s new exhibition Beyond Caravaggio’ examines the international artistic phenomenon known as Caravaggism. The exhibition is a collaboration with the National Gallery of Ireland and the National Galleries of Scotland, and travels to Dublin and Edinburgh in 2017.

Outstanding examples of baroque painting exist in galleries and museums throughout the UK and Ireland, and the National Gallery is delighted to have worked with a wide range of institutions to borrow a number of significant works for the exhibition, which opened in London on 12 October 2016 and runs until 15 January 2017.

Examples include ‘Cimon and Pero (Roman Charity)’ (about 1622-3), by Dirck van Baburen, part of the Lycett Green Collection at York Art Gallery; Giovanni Francesco Guerrieri’s ‘Lot and his Daughters leaving Sodom’ (about 1617-18), from Manchester City Galleries; and Nicolas Régnier’s masterpiece, ‘Saint Sebastian tended by the Holy Irene and her Servant’ (about 1626-30), in the collection of the Ferens Art Gallery, Hull Museums, with whom the National Gallery is currently working closely on the redisplay of their galleries, due to reopen in June 2017 as part of Hull’s term as UK City of Culture 2017.

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Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, The Supper at Emmaus, 1601

The gallery was also very pleased to have the opportunity to display Georges de la Tour’s ‘Dice Players’ (about 1650-1), on loan from Preston Park Museum & Grounds in Stockton-on-Tees.

Four paintings have travelled to the National Gallery from Birmingham: Orazio Gentileschi’s ‘The Rest on the Flight into Egypt’ (about 1620); ‘The Annunciation to the Shepherds’ by The Master of the Annunciation to the Shepherds (about 1630); and ‘An Old Woman and a Boy by Candlelight’ by Matthias Stom (probably 1620s), all loaned by Birmingham Museums Trust on behalf of Birmingham City Council; as well as Mattia Preti’s ‘The Crucifixion of Saint Peter’ (about 1656-9), from the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham.

Several works have been loaned to the exhibition from Scottish collections, including ‘Christ displaying his Wounds’ by Giovanni Antonio Galli, called Lo Spadarino (about 1625-35), on loan from Perth Museum and Art Gallery, Perth and Kinross Council.

Significant loans have also come from private collections and National Trust properties throughout the UK.

The National Gallery is grateful to have had the opportunity to showcase a wide range of baroque masterpieces that exists in collections throughout the British Isles.