Bacchus

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, c. 1596

Oil on canvas, 95 × 85 cm

Gallerie degli Uffizi, Florence

Room I · The Early Years (c. 1592–1597)

Bacchus, Caravaggio, c. 1596 — Image: Wikimedia Commons, public domain

A young Bacchus reclining in the classical manner, vine leaves in his hair, holds out a goblet of wine as if inviting us to his table. Commissioned by Cardinal del Monte, it was perhaps a gift for Ferdinando I de' Medici; restoration revealed a tiny self-portrait reflected in the carafe.