The Fortune Teller

1596-1597

In this early Baroque masterpiece, Caravaggio captures a delicious moment of street-level deception. A naive, fashionably dressed young man is completely captivated by a fortune teller reading his palm, entirely oblivious to the fact that she is slyly slipping a ring off his finger! Painted around 1596, this scene broke away from stiff religious subjects to show everyday life with a theatrical, dramatic flair that would define the Baroque era. It’s a brilliant, slightly cheeky look at human gullibility that feels just as relevant today as it did over four centuries ago.

Views: 4

Related Artworks

Bacco adolescente Caravaggio from 1595 until 1597
Sacrifice of Isaac Caravaggio 1603
The Lute Player Caravaggio circa 1595
Saint John The Baptist In The Wilderness Caravaggio
The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew Caravaggio circa 1599-1600
The Musicians Caravaggio 1597
Alof de Wignacourt Caravaggio 1608
The Crucifixion of Saint Andrew Caravaggio 1606-7
The Cardsharps Caravaggio ca 1595
Saint John the Baptist Caravaggio 1603
Saint Jerome Writing Caravaggio 1610
The Conversion of Saint Paul Caravaggio ca. 1600
Young Girl Reading Jean-Honoré Fragonard c. 1769
The Raft of the Medusa Théodore Géricault 1818
Cock-a-doodle-do, it’s seven o’clock Carl Larsson
Fray Hortensio Félix Paravicino El Greco 1609
The Three Graces Peter Paul Rubens 1635
Portrait of Hélène Fourment Peter Paul Rubens circa 1630 - 1631
View Of The Roman Forum Giovanni Paolo Panini 1735
Saul and David Rembrandt van Rijn c. 1651 - 1654
The Letter Writer Surprised Gabriel Metsu c.1658 - c. 1660
Is a caddy always necessary Charles Dana Gibson 1893-1900
Portrait of Two Young Ladies Olga Boznanska circa 1904
Lovers at supper Frans van Mieris the Elder
A Woman in Bed Rembrandt van Rijn ca 1645-1646
Sketch for The Quartette William Turner Dannat circa 1889
Diana at the Bath Rembrandt van Rijn About 1631
Battenbergs Max Beckmann 1916