Paradise
ca. 1598
Medium
Oil on copper
Dimensions
Overall 21 3/8 x 18 7/8 in. (54.3 x 47.9 cm); painted surface 20 7/8 x 18 3/8 in. (53 x 46.7 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, by exchange, 1971
Accession Number
1971.93
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Paradise*, a luminous oil-on-copper panel by Venetian artist Carlo Saraceni, created around 1598. Measuring just over 20 by 18 inches on its painted surface, this intimate work captures a heavenly vision featuring the Virgin Mary, Christ, Saint John the Baptist, Saint George—key figures in Christian iconography gathered in divine harmony. The choice of copper as a support was prized in late Renaissance Italy for its smooth, reflective surface, enabling Saraceni's precise brushwork and jewel-like colors that evoke ethereal light. Saraceni, active in Venice and later Rome, bridges Manne...