Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio,
The Fortune Teller, c. 1594,
oil on canvas, 45 x 59 in. (115 x 150 cm),
Musei Capitolini, Rome, Italy
Something rare has arrived in New York. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s La Buona Ventura (The Fortune Teller) from the Musei Capitolini, Rome, is on exhibit for five days at the Italian Cultural Institute. It is displayed in room by itself, well-lit, with no protecting glass. You can look without glare or any distortion which sometimes occurs when viewing through so-called transparent coverings. It appears in good condition having been cleaned and restored in Italy about a year and a half ago. Close, concentrated observation illuminates details that are often overlooked in a venue that may have other painterly distractions.
The Cardsharps, c. 1594,
oil on canvas, 37 1/8 x 51 5/8 in. (94.2 x 130.9 cm),
Kimball Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas
The Fortune Teller, c. 1594, is one of the painter’s early works. Caravaggio, just starting out on his own, needed money and sold it for a small amount. The painting became part of the collection of the Roman banker and connoisseur, Marchese Vincente Giustiniani. The banker’s friend, Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte, purchased the painting’s companion piece, The Cardsharps. These two paintings were very popular and copies were made.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio,
The Fortune Teller, c. 1595,
oil on canvas, 37 x 52 in. (99 x 131 cm),
Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
The Musei Capitolini Fortune Teller is one of Caravaggio’s most influential works. The painting depicts a gypsy girl reading the palm of a dandyish young man. The boy stares into the girl’s face, unaware she is slipping off his ring while stroking his palm. You must look closely at youth's ring finger between her little and fourth digit to discern his gold band.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio,
The Fortune Teller (Detail), c. 1594,
oil on canvas, 45 x 59 in. (115 x 150 cm),
Musei Capitolini, Rome, Italy
Of particular interest is the realistic manner in which Caravaggio rendered textures: feathers, leather, metal, and a variety of cloths are differentiated with veracity.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio,
The Fortune Teller (Detail), c. 1594,
oil on canvas, 45 x 59 in. (115 x 150 cm),
Musei Capitolini, Rome, Italy
The juxtaposition of the fabrics on the young man’s torso is a celebration of the artist’s skillfulness. Clearly denoted are the tactile qualities of the linen shirt undergarment with its embroidered lace cuffs, the heavy brocade upper costume with its velvety decorative stripes and the coarser dark cloak draped over his right shoulder. At the meeting of the girl’s left and the boy’s right wrist, Caravaggio distinguishes between the whites and materials of her blouse and his shirt.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio,
The Fortune Teller (Detail), c. 1594,
oil on canvas, 45 x 59 in. (115 x 150 cm),
Musei Capitolini, Rome, Italy
There is delight in treatment of the gypsy’s hair especially the wayward strands that stand out against the white of her turban and those alongside her left cheek.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio,
The Fortune Teller (Detail), c. 1594,
oil on canvas, 45 x 59 in. (115 x 150 cm),
Musei Capitolini, Rome, Italy
Caravaggio is reported to have selected the model for the gypsy girl from someone who passed him on the street. Her dirty fingernails seem true to life as do the boy’s clean and well-attended ones. Her ruddy complexion contrasts with his paler skin tones - no street work for him. His sword appears capable of being used with its glossy rounded pommel, clothed grip and circular guard. Gloves are conveniently tucked away for safe keeping in the guard’s cross bar.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio,
The Fortune Teller (Detail), c. 1594,
oil on canvas, 45 x 59 in. (115 x 150 cm),
Musei Capitolini, Rome, Italy
It seemed Caravaggio took much care with the placement of the young man’s left hand on his hip, drawing attention to the sheen on the adjacent belt fastener. The lace embroidered cuffs of young man’s costume are the only fussiness in the work. Compare this with the delicate, fine description of the slender ties closing his shirt’s collar as well as the girl’s neck bow and decorative neckline.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio,
The Fortune Teller (Detail), c. 1594,
oil on canvas, 45 x 59 in. (115 x 150 cm),
Musei Capitolini, Rome, Italy
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio,
The Fortune Teller (Detail), c. 1594,
oil on canvas, 45 x 59 in. (115 x 150 cm),
Musei Capitolini, Rome, Italy
Of further note are the superbly realized folds of the girl’s blouse and the flamboyant, puffy left sleeve of the young man’s outer garment. There is special beauty in the passage where the fabric of the girl’s left sleeve falls gently over her apron as she leans to her right.
The point of this is to remind the reader that you do not need a blockbuster show to learn. Spending undisturbed time with one painting will yield much. You concentrate on looking and that is what the pleasure of art is about. I heard one viewer say standing in front of the work, “I feel like I am in bed with it.” That’s about as close and intimate as you can get.
A Buona Ventura, Caravaggio’s The Fortune Teller: A Masterpiece From Musei Capitolini, Rome
May 11 through May 15, 2011
686 Park Avenue, Manhattan, New York
Weekdays 10 am to 6 pm
Saturday and Sunday 11 am to 6 pm
The Fortune Teller Travels
After New York, The Fortune Teller travels to the Speed Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, where, from May 18 through June 5, it will be the focal point of an exhibit focusing on Caravaggio’s influence on seventeenth-century Italian, Netherlandish and Flemish artists. From June 17 through September 11, 2011, the painting can be seen at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, in the exhibition, “Caravaggio and His Followers in Rome” organized with the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. The show, which consists of about 60 paintings, then goes to the Kimbell Art Museum from October 16, 2010 through January 8, 2012.
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