Describe the characteristics of the Removal and Rejection in Madonna and Child with St. Anne (Dei Palafrenieri)'s History.
Spezzaferro believed that the painting was removed due to the way Caravaggio depicted St. Anne. Traditionally in Christianity, Saint Anne was praised as a symbol of Grace. Caravaggio depicted her as if she were just an ordinary older woman standing next to Mary and Christ. Another reason as to why the painting may have been removed was that Caravaggio did not put enough effort into depicting the Holy Family grouping. It was not the first time one of Caravaggio's paintings was removed from a church; another example is the Death of the Virgin, which was removed from Santa Maria della Scala.Art historian John Spike is not sure as to what the main reason this piece was removed and he cannot pinpoint it to one specific reason. Scholar Maurizio Marini believed one of the biggest reasons Caravaggio's altarpiece was removed was due to his being a murderer that committed many crimes. Caravaggio killed Ranuccio Tomassoni of Terni in a duel. The Church had the altarpiece up for two months and later it was removed.Another reason for the rejection could be that Caravaggio used the model Lena to depict her as the Virgin Mary. The Church may have rejected the piece knowing Lena was not an appropriate person to represent a holy figure since she was a prostitute. Lena developed a relationship with Mariano Pasqualone that led Caravaggio to attack Pasqualone with a sword at a restaurant called Via Della Scrofa.The infant Jesus being fully naked may have also caused controversy and could be another reason as to why the altarpiece was removed from St. Peter's. During the Counter-Reformation, the Church did not want to display art that displayed nudity, especially depicting such a holy entity.
Santa Maria della Scala St. Anne Caravaggio Saint Anne Virgin Mary