Processing
Oil pictography on ‘Retouch’ canvas prepared with natural chalk primer and glue. Retouching with spatula and brush; use of magnifying glass for details and Maimeri and Winsor & Newton colours. Carved solid wood frame, bole preparation and gold leaf gilding. Framed picture size: 59x69 cm.
History
Commissioned by Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte, protector of the young Caravaggio, this work is a masterpiece of cunning and deception, a true still of a swindle in progress. The scene is theatrical: an inexperienced young man plays cards, unaware that he is surrounded by scoundrels. To his right, an elderly cheat peeks at his cards with a complicit look, while a second cheat, his fingers gloved for better cheating, deftly pulls an ace from his belt. The detail of the con, the tension in the gestures and the cunning expressions turn the painting into a true visual narrative. Caravaggio is said to have been inspired by his first-hand experience in Roman taverns, where the art of deception was the order of the day. Moreover, the painting appealed so much that multiple copies were made, fuelling a parallel market.
Caravaggio, The Cheaters (RETOUCH)