Wikimedia Commons • Public Domain
Cardsharps
by Caravaggio
StyleBaroque
Artwork Details
Cite or Embed This Work
APA · MLA · Chicago1-click academic citation and embeddable “On View” museum badge for articles, syllabi, and research.
Caravaggio painted the scene of cheating at cards around 1594, one of his earliest genre paintings. A naive young player concentrates on his hand, unaware that his opponent signals to an accomplice who reaches for hidden cards behind his back.
The painting established themes Caravaggio would explore throughout his career: deception, dramatic lighting, and psychological tension. Its success brought him his first major patron. The work is at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth.
More by Caravaggio
View all →
Also at Kimbell Art Museum
View all →P
Portrait of May Sartoris
Frederic Leighton
Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth
T
The Finding of Moses
Salvator Rosa
Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth
P
Portrait of a Woman (possibly of the Lloyd Family)
Thomas Gainsborough
Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth
T
The Torment of Saint Anthony
Michelangelo
Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth
Related Works
Works that share an artist, movement, museum, genre, palette or theme with Cardsharps.
- Same artist
- Same movement
The Musicians
Caravaggio, 1595
- Same artist
- Same movement
David and Goliath
Caravaggio
- Same artist
- Same movement
Boy with a Basket of Fruit
Caravaggio, 1593
- Same movement
- Same museum
The Cheat with the Ace of Clubs
Georges de La Tour, 1635
- Same movement
- Same museum
Coast Scene with Europa and the Bull
Claude Lorrain
- Same movement
The Bean Eater
Annibale Carracci, 1584
- Same movement
Judith Slaying Holofernes
Artemisia Gentileschi, 1620
- Same movement
Portrait of Innocent X
Diego Velázquez, 1650
- Same movement
Aurora
Guido Reni, 1614
- Same movement
Charles I at the Hunt
Anthony van Dyck, 1635
- Same movement
The Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne
Annibale Carracci, 1602
- Same movement
Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting
Artemisia Gentileschi, 1639
About Cardsharps
It's at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, one of their most prized acquisitions.
Caravaggio painted this around 1594, early in his career. It helped establish his reputation in Rome.
This was the painting that launched Caravaggio's career when Cardinal Del Monte bought it around 1594. The dramatic scene of cheating at cards showed his radical naturalism and influenced generations of Baroque genre painters.
Own Art Like This
Luxury wall art with the same mood and energy. Gallery-quality canvas, no museum crowds.
Browse Collection