Death of Corregio
Artist: Albert Küchler (Danish, 1803-1886)
Date: 1834
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: Thorvaldsens Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark
Description
The tragedy Correggio (1809) is a romantic verse drama by Danish playwright Adam Oehlenschläger. It explores the life, genius, and tragic death of the 16th-century Italian Renaissance master, Antonio da Correggio.
The play portrays Correggio as a gentle, deeply humble, and pure-hearted artist who is unappreciated by his materialistic contemporaries. He struggles in poverty while striving to create beautiful, transcendent art
The painting represents the scene in the fifth act of the tragedy in which Correggio has overstrained himself by carrying a sack of copper coins and dies. His wife has sent for an old hermit so that her husband can be given extreme unction. But it is too late. He is already dead. The little boy is Correggio’s son Giovanni.
