The Taking of Christ is painted in 1602 for Ciriaco Mattei as a nocturnal arrest scene
Dated 1 January 1602: The Taking of Christ is painted in 1602 for Ciriaco Mattei as a nocturnal arrest scene. In the causal graph this event weakens Judicial independence erosion (court capture), a driver that strengthens Rule of Law Gap from the Highest Governance Score — an improving welfare path.
Read the full account
Mattei shares the commission. Later Dublin display is carrier.
Context
Emmaus for the same circle is neighbouring.
Caravaggio’s documented role is bounded by other offices and collaborators named in the sources below.
Mattei palace commissions; Caravaggio’s Roman legal troubles intensify later.
Who was responsible
Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.
Caravaggio
PersonDirect responsibility
responsibility level 0.4 · verified
Named painter of The Taking of Christ. Mattei as patron.
What changed
Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.
- FactThe Taking of Christ is painted in 1602 for Ciriaco Mattei as a nocturnal arrest scene
- weakensDriverJudicial independence erosion (court capture)
- strengthensIndicators (4)Rule of Law Gap from the Highest Governance Score
impact weight 0.45 · Effect from 1 January 1602 · verified
- Better
Strengthens · Relationship strength 0.32 (weight 0.45 × strength 0.72)
Observed
43.9 Score · 43.9 above the normal line (2024)
Worse than normal26 readings, 1996–2024: rose from 43 Score to 43.9 Score.
Normal is zero · any amount = worse
Weakens · Relationship strength 0.32 (weight 0.45 × strength 0.7)
Observed
0.55 index score (0-1) · 0.26 below the normal line (2024)
Worse than normalAbove normal = better
Weakens · Relationship strength 0.31 (weight 0.45 × strength 0.69)
Observed
0.62 score from 0 to 1 · 0.25 below the normal line (2024)
Worse than normal125 readings, 1900–2024: rose from 0.37 score from 0 to 1 to 0.62 score from 0 to 1.
Above normal = better
All indicators on this path (4)
- Better
Weakens · Relationship strength 0.14 (weight 0.45 × strength 0.3)
Observed
42.5 index score (0-100) · 7.53 below the normal line (2025)
Worse than normalAbove normal = better
Evidence
The sources behind this fact and its verification state.
- 1.Britannica — CaravaggioEncyclopaedia Britannica · High credibility · verified
- 2.Met Heilbrunn — Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi) and His FollowersMetropolitan Museum of Art · High credibility · verified
What the sources establish
Britannica and Met narratives date The Taking of Christ to 1602 for Ciriaco Mattei, showing Judas’s kiss and the temple arrest.
Britannica and Met Heilbrunn independently place the 1602 Taking of Christ in the Mattei commissions.
Established: 1602 Taking of Christ in the encyclopedia/museum narrative. Not established: day precision.
Caravaggio did not file a later UNESCO form, a later Loeb colophon, or a later museum label as a personal act. Painting of an arrest, not his 1606 crime.
Causal path
How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.
- ActorCaravaggio
- contributed toFactThe Taking of Christ is painted in 1602 for Ciriaco Mattei as a nocturnal arrest scene
- weakensDriverJudicial independence erosion (court capture)
- strengthensIndicatorRule of Law Gap from the Highest Governance Score
Cite this page
Factrail. (2026). The Taking of Christ is painted in 1602 for Ciriaco Mattei as a nocturnal arrest scene. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/cv-taking-christ-1602
https://factrail.ai/facts/cv-taking-christ-1602
Accessed 16 October 2026.
By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed
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