Caravaggio
Caravaggio (1571-1610) was a painter from the Duchy of Milan. His early career involved lyrical and courtly genre pictures, including subjects such as gypsies, musicians, and card players. He later became a religious artist, creating work for the Counter-Reformation. His style was noted for a bold naturalism, often dependent on the live model.
Biography
He was a well-known figure in Italy, though he was also described by contemporaries as a difficult and strange personality. In 1606, he killed a man and spent his final years in exile. His work often included self-portraits and reflected a direct sense of the human condition. Solis Prints offers fine art prints of his work, including Adoration of the Shepherds, Amor Victorious, Annunciation, Basket of Fruit, and Burial of Saint Lucy.
Timeline
- 1571Born Michelangelo Merisi in Milan. His family moved to the town of Caravaggio in 1576 to escape a plague.
- 1595At 24, taken into the household of Cardinal Francesco del Monte in Rome, who became his first major patron.
- 1600At 29, unveiled The Calling of Saint Matthew in the Contarelli Chapel in Rome, establishing his reputation overnight.
- 1606At 34, killed Ranuccio Tomassoni in a brawl in Rome, reportedly over a tennis match, and fled the city with a death sentence.
- 1608At 37, painted The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist in Malta and was inducted as a Knight, only to be expelled months later.
- 1610Died aged 38 under mysterious circumstances at Porto Ercole while travelling to receive a papal pardon.
Notable Works
Tap a work to read about it, or to view it larger.
Where to See Caravaggio
20 museums worldwide.
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8 worksGalleria Borghese
Rome, Italy
The Galleria Borghese in Rome keeps six autograph Caravaggios on permanent display, built from Cardinal Scipione Borghese's early seventeenth-century patronage. David with the Head of Goliath (c. 1610) and Boy with a Basket of Fruit (c. 1593) sit in rooms Caravaggio himself would have recognised.
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7 worksGemäldegalerie Berlin
Berlin, Germany
Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00, closed Mondays
Berlin's Gemäldegalerie holds seven Caravaggios, most importantly Amor Vincit Omnia (1601-02), painted for the Giustiniani collection. The museum reads the picture next to its Dutch and Flemish Caravaggisti, showing how quickly his tenebrism travelled north of the Alps.
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5 works
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica
Rome, Italy
Tue–Sun 10:00–19:00, closed Mondays · 15€ adults
Split across Palazzo Barberini and Palazzo Corsini, the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica holds Judith Beheading Holofernes (c. 1599), among the most viscerally argued Caravaggios in Rome. The five-work group covers his early Roman period, when papal patronage via Cardinal Del Monte first shifted his tenebrism into public altarpieces.
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3 worksGalleria Doria Pamphilj
Rome, Italy
Mon–Thu 9:00–19:00, Fri–Sun 10:00–20:00, closed Wednesdays · €16
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3 worksKunsthistorisches Museum
Vienna, Austria
Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00 (Thu until 21:00); closed Mon (open Mon Jun–Aug) · €21 adults, free under-19
Next stop
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Caravaggio prints
Hand-finished archival prints from Caravaggio's body of work.
The Denial of Saint Peter - Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
From £28.00
Salome with the Head of John the Baptist - Caravaggio
From £37.00
Portrait of Alof de Wignacourt and his Page - Caravaggio
From £28.00
Medusa - Caravaggio
From £37.00
David and Goliath - Caravaggio
From £37.00
Boy with a Basket of Fruit - Caravaggio
From £37.00
Related Artists
Take Caravaggio home.
See all Caravaggio prints →Frequently Asked Questions
Did caravaggio kill people?
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio killed a man named Ranuccio Tomassoni in a swordfight in May 1606. The reason for the fight is uncertain, with possibilities including a tennis match, a gambling debt, or a woman.Did caravaggio use a camera obscura?
The idea that Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio used some kind of lens or camera obscura is refuted. Early writers do not mention any such device, and nothing like it appears in his belongings.How did caravaggio paint?
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio achieved the effects in his paintings by means of a technique that astonished his contemporaries. Bellori remarked that he concentrated solely on the complexion, skin, blood and the natural surface, and left all other artistic considerations aside.Is caravaggio renaissance?
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio played a critical role in the formation of a modern approach to painting. His art marks a new, more complex stage of development during the years around 1600, comparable to the novelties introduced in literature by Cervantes or Shakespeare.Was caravaggio a criminal?
Giulio Mancini, a contemporary of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, reported that he had "some extravagances from time to time that can be explained by a hot tempered and passionate temperament". He also killed a man in 1606 and spent the last four years of his life on the run.What is caravaggio most known for?
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio is most known for his portrayal of holy figures as low-class people. Many considered this to be blasphemous.When did caravaggio die?
Caravaggio died in 1610 at the age of 39.When did caravaggio live?
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was born in 1571, probably in Milan. Caravaggio died in July 1610.Where can i see caravaggio paintings?
Caravaggio's works can be seen at Galleria Borghese, Gemäldegalerie Berlin, Borghese Collection, and 2 other museums worldwide.Why did caravaggio kill?
The reason Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio killed Ranuccio Tomassoni is not definitively known. Mancini wondered if the rejection of his altarpiece for St Peter’s might have been the tilting point of the painter’s whole life.Why did caravaggio use tenebrism?
Caravaggio used perspective to bring the viewer into the action. He also used chiaroscuro to engage the emotions while intensifying the scene's impact through dramatic light and dark contrasts.
Sources
Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Caravaggio.
- [1] museum Museum of Fine Arts of Rennes Used for: museum holdings.
- [2] museum Capitoline Museums Used for: museum holdings.
- [3] museum Galleria Palatina Used for: museum holdings.
- [4] museum Fondazione Roberto Longhi Used for: museum holdings.
- [5] museum Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen Used for: museum holdings.
- [6] museum Department of Prints and Drawings of the Louvre Used for: museum holdings.
- [7] wikidata Wikidata: Q42207 Used for: identifiers.
- [8] book Langdon, Helen, Caravaggio : a life Used for: biography.
- [9] book Desmond Seward, Caravaggio - A Life Used for: biography.
- [10] book Masterpieces of western art : a history of art in 900 individual studies from the Gothic to the present day Used for: biography.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-10-20. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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