The Divine Eros Defeats the Earthly Eros

Baglione’s Eros for the Cardinal Benedetto Giustiniani (1544-1621) was a response to the Eros that Caravaggio had painted for Marchese Vincenzo Giustaniani (1564-1637), the Cardinal’s brother. Caravaggio had drawn a pretty, provocatively naked boy as a youthful god of earthly love to be a victor over the “Liberal Arts”, power and fame. As well as this gave him the features of a boy who had also been a model for religious figures. This was a challenge to his contemporaries’ moral values. Baglione has Earthly Love thrown to the ground by a divine Eros in armour. A devil with faun’s ears and a trident is crouching bottom left. Antiquity was well aware of the competition between Eros and Anteros for the soul of man. If the two are reconciled, then perfect love is achieved. In contrast with this, Baglione’s picture, according to the official church teaching of his time, aims at the subjugation of earthly love. The divine Eros, reminiscent of the falling St. Michael, is drawing back his arms for the final thrust.