The Musicians
1597 · Oil on canvas · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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About this work
- Artist
- Caravaggio (1571–1610)
- Year
- 1597
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 92.1 × 118.4 cm
- Collection
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- Movement
- Baroque
Four boys in loose classical draperies tune a lute, read music, hold a cornett and, at the far left with wings and a quiver, pick grapes: a concert being prepared, with Cupid as its presiding spirit. Caravaggio painted it around 1597 for Cardinal del Monte, a passionate musician, soon after entering his household, and the lute player at the centre is thought to be his companion Mario Minniti, while the boy with the cornett looking out at the viewer may be the painter himself. The picture was long lost, turned up in England in 1952 and was bought by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1952; it had suffered and was heavily restored. Its warm flesh, white cloth and red silk make it the gentlest of his early works, an allegory of music that is also a portrait of a circle of friends.
This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Four boys in white and red tuning lutes and reading music in warm ochre light, for a music room, living room or study at 24×36 in black. Cream, olive or deep red walls suit the warmth; pair it with The Lute Player.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Exhibition poster of a Baroque painting
- Era
- 16th century (1597)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Palette
- cream & beige
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- living room, study or library, dining room, dorm room, hallway or entryway
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.
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 Musicians in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was The Musicians painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
