About this work

Caravaggio painted this in 1597, aged 26. It is now at The Met in New York.

How it was made

Oil paint: Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

Caravaggio

Italian, 1571–1610 · Born in Milan or Caravaggio; died in Porto Ercole.

See all 2 works by Caravaggio

Rights and the museum’s record

Public domain. The Met has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.

Object number: 52.81
Credit: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Type: Paintings
Department: European Paintings
Licence: CC0 1.0 Universal
Museum record: See it on the museum’s site

Report this work