Who was Ciriaco Mattei and what was his role in art?

Ciriaco Mattei was a prominent member of the powerful House of Mattei, a noble family in Rome during the early modern era. Known as an art enthusiast, he amassed significant art collections and notably commissioned Caravaggio's masterpiece, The Taking of Christ, in 1602. He was also the uncle of figures such as Girolamo Mattei, Duca di Giove.

What we know

• Ciriaco Mattei belonged to the House of Mattei, one of the most powerful noble families of Rome during the Middle Ages and early modern era. [2]
• Ciriaco Mattei was known as an art enthusiast who amassed significant art collections for the family. [2]
• In 1602, Ciriaco Mattei commissioned the painting The Taking of Christ from the Italian Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. [5]
• Ciriaco Mattei was the uncle of Girolamo Mattei, Duca di Giove, and Cardinal Girolamo Mattei. [3]

Where to go next

• a case in pointWhich paintings were in the Mattei family art collection?
• the bigger pictureHow did the House of Mattei gain power in Rome?
• whoWho was Girolamo Mattei, Duca di Giove?
• how we knowWhere is Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ housed today?
• what caused itHow did Pope Urban VIII influence the Mattei family titles?
• an unexpected connectionHow did a Roman nobleman's art commission end up in Ireland?The painting commissioned by Roman nobleman Ciriaco Mattei in 1602 was eventually lost for centuries before being identified in a Jesuit residence in Dublin and housed in the National Gallery of Ireland.

Sources

• [1]House of Mattei (Wikidata Q3852051) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Mattei family · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Girolamo Mattei, Duca di Giove · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Girolamo Mattei · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]The Taking of Christ (Caravaggio) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Your path

1. What is Karl Marx's socialist theory?
2. /Who was Ciriaco Mattei and what was his role in art?