The Fortune Teller
c. 1595–1598 · Oil on canvas · Musée du Louvre, Paris
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About this work
- Artist
- Caravaggio (1571–1610)
- Year
- c. 1595–1598
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 99 × 131 cm
- Collection
- Musée du Louvre, Paris
- Movement
- Baroque
A young gypsy woman in a white turban reads the palm of a foppish youth in a feathered hat and, while he gazes at her face, slips the ring from his finger. Caravaggio painted the subject twice; this second version, from about 1595 to 1598, is the one that belonged to Cardinal del Monte and was later owned by Louis XIV, which is how it came to the Louvre. The biographer Bellori says the painter chose a gypsy from the street as his model to show that he preferred nature to the antique. The two half-length figures stand against a plain lit wall with nothing else in the picture, and the whole story is told by a glance and a touch of the hands. With The Cardsharps it founded the type of the painted street comedy that Caravaggio's followers would spread across Europe.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Two half-length figures in a white turban and a plumed hat, warm gold and cream against a bare wall, for a hallway, study or dining room at 32×24 in black. Ochre, olive or warm grey walls suit the palette; pair it with The Cardsharps.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Baroque painting
- Era
- 16th century (c. 1595–1598)
- Orientation
- Landscape
- Mood
- classic
- Rooms
- dining room, hallway or entryway, study or library, living room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 32×24. Prints at 16×12, 24×18, 32×24 in — 16×12 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 24×18 above a console or sideboard; 32×24 as the statement piece above a sofa or headboard.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; natural wood lightens it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is The Fortune Teller in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was The Fortune Teller painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
