The Musicians

Caravaggio rendered this The Musicians around 1595 for Cardinal Francesco del Monte. Four young men gather with instruments and sheet music. One figure at left looks directly at the viewer, possibly a self-portrait. Another tunes a lute, his mouth slightly open.

The painting demonstrates Caravaggio's early mastery of realistic textures: velvet, linen, skin, feathers. The homoerotic undertones reflect the Cardinal's circle. Caravaggio would soon develop his dramatic chiaroscuro, but here soft light bathes the intimate scene. It hangs at the Metropolitan Museum.