The Musicians. Artist: Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi) (Italian, Milan or Caravaggio 1571-1610 Porto Ercole). Dimensions: 36 1/4 x 46 5/8 in. (92.1 x 118.4 cm). Date: 1597.
Although described by contemporaries as "a music piece," this picture presents an allegory of music in terms of a contemporary performance; Cupid's presence signals its allegorical intention. The costumes have a vaguely classical look and Caravaggio included his self-portrait in the second boy from the right. Trained in Lombardy, Caravaggio initially made his reputation in Rome with paintings of half-length figures, such as this one, which was painted for his first great patron, Cardinal Francesco del Monte.