Why it matters
Four young men in loose classical costume prepare to make music, with a Cupid picking grapes at the side. Probably the first painting Caravaggio made for Cardinal del Monte, a great music lover who owned many expensive instruments.
Did you know?
- It was painted around 1595.
- The lute player has been identified as Caravaggio's companion Mario Minniti.
- The youth facing the viewer is possibly a self-portrait.
- Del Monte's instruments could serve as models for Caravaggio.
Based on the Wikipedia article The Musicians (Caravaggio) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
