The Cardsharps

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, c. 1595

Oil on canvas, 94.2 × 130.9 cm

Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth

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

The Cardsharps, Caravaggio, c. 1595 — Image: Wikimedia Commons, public domain

An innocent youth plays cards while an accomplice peers at his hand and signals to his partner, who keeps a card hidden behind his back. The picture caught the eye of Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte, who bought it and took Caravaggio under his protection.