Introduction

This chapter introduces the book about Caravaggio's presence in Early Modern Sicily. The time that Caravaggio, an otherwise renowned artist, spent in Sicily (16081609) and paintings he made there have long been overlooked. This book centers that very period and those paintings, which, as argued, act as a portal onto larger histories of Sicily, an island too long neglected but pivotal for any understanding of art and culture that moves beyond centerperiphery models and takes seriously globalizing impulses of the 17th century. As this introduction makes clear, this book is about Caravaggio and his paintings but also Sicily and Early Modern art history. The chapter sets the stage for Caravaggio's arrival in Sicily as facilitated by his early acquaintances in Rome and lays out the history, politics, and religion to provide context for this time in the artist's life. Readers are introduced to this period in Caravaggio's creative life, the physical and cultural arena in which he worked, and his painting techniques. This study is situated within the larger field, explaining why this particular cut through the scholarship allows for the arguments that unfold in this book.