Young Sick Bacchus - Caravaggio
Archival giclée
Frames arrive ready to hang
Secure checkout
Made to order
Description
A self-portrait by Caravaggio, this early Baroque work depicts a jaundiced Bacchus with a still life of fruit, showcasing the artist's emerging mastery of light.
Young Sick Bacchus is an early work by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, painted during his initial period in Rome. The painting is widely considered a self-portrait, executed while the artist was recovering from an illness, possibly malaria, which he contracted while working for the painter Giuseppe Cesari. The subject, a young man draped in a white cloth, wears a crown of ivy and holds a cluster of white grapes. His skin tone appears jaundiced, a detail that aligns with the historical accounts of the artist's poor health at the time.
The composition focuses on the figure, who is turned towards the viewer with a weary expression. On the stone ledge in front of him sits a still life of peaches and dark grapes. This element demonstrates the artist's early interest in naturalistic detail, a hallmark of his later career. The lighting is directional, casting deep shadows that define the musculature of the figure's arm and shoulder. This technique, known as tenebrism, would become a defining characteristic of Caravaggio's mature style.
Unlike the idealised figures of the Renaissance, this Bacchus is grounded in physical reality. The painting reflects the artist's technical skill in rendering textures, from the soft skin of the fruit to the coarse fabric of the drapery. It remains a significant example of his ability to merge classical subject matter with personal, observed experience. The work is currently housed in the Galleria Borghese in Rome, where it is studied for its contribution to the development of early Baroque painting and its departure from the Mannerist conventions that preceded it.
Return policy
Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
Shipping
We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Young Sick Bacchus - Caravaggio
Artist Biography
Caravaggio
Before the killing, he had already transformed European painting. He arrived in Rome from Milan in the early 1590s, hungry and unknown, and within a decade had developed a method of painting from life, using strong directional light against deep shadow, that made the prevailing Mannerist style look theatrical and empty. He used real people as models: prostitutes, street boys, labourers. His saints had dirty feet. The Church commissioned altarpieces and then rejected them for being too vulgar, too real, too much like the people who actually attended church.
The Calling of Saint Matthew, painted for the Contarelli Chapel in San Luigi dei Francesi, is his method at its clearest. The light enters from the upper right like a blade. Matthew sits at a tax collector's table with his companions. Christ points. The scene looks like something you might see through a doorway, which is roughly the viewer's position. Nothing is idealised. The moment is ordinary and sacred simultaneously.
After the killing he fled to Naples, then Malta, then Sicily, then back to Naples. He kept painting. The late works are darker, faster, more desperate. He received a papal pardon and boarded a boat north. He died on a beach in Porto Ercole in July 1610, at thirty-eight. The cause is unknown: fever, infection, possibly lead poisoning from his paints. His influence on Rembrandt, Velazquez, Georges de La Tour, and every painter who has ever used a spotlight is difficult to overstate.
Why Choose Us ?
Damage-free delivery guarantee
Fast Shipping
Museum-Quality Materials
You May Also Like