Book excerpt: Gilbert devotes separate discussions to the Marquis and to Cardinal Mattei in developing his argument that each of them influenced Caravaggio in different ways. A collector of classical sculpture, the Marquis is connected to the classical mythological themes that are here identified in specific paintings. A study of Cardinal Mattei indicates that he was outstandingly devout, which was true of only a small number of cardinals during the period. Gilbert shows that the artist's two paintings for the Cardinal alter the previous patterns of representing their religious themes, in ways related to Counter-Reformation ideas. Scholars have long searched for the specific religious figure who inspired this quality in Caravaggio's work, resolved here by Gilbert's meticulous scholarship and carefully drawn connections.