Caravaggio

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Caravaggio: The Conversion of St. Paul (second version)

The unique drama of Caravaggio's The Entombment of Christ

Caravaggio: The Cardsharps

Caravaggio: Bacchus

Caravaggio: The Calling of St. Matthew

Caravaggio: The Entombment of Christ

Caravaggio: The Death of the Virgin

The Calling of St. Matthew, oil on canvas by Caravaggio, 1597–98; in the Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome.

The Deposition of Christ, oil on canvas by Caravaggio, 1602–04; in the Pinacoteca, Vatican Museums, Vatican City.

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The Deposition of Christ, oil on canvas by Caravaggio, 1602–04; in the Pinacoteca, Vatican Museums, Vatican City.

Caravaggio summary

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Rome: 1599–1606

in Caravaggio

Also known as: Michelangelo Merisi

Written by Andrew Graham-Dixon

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: May 3, 2025 • Article History

Quick Facts

Byname of:: Michelangelo Merisi

Born:: September 29, 1571, Milan or Caravaggio [Italy]

Died:: July 18/19, 1610, Porto Ercole, Tuscany

Notable Works:: “Boy with a Basket of Fruit”; “Death of the Virgin”; “The Beheading of St. John the Baptist”; “The Burial of St. Lucy”; “The Calling of St. Matthew”; “The Conversion of St. Paul”; “The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew”; “The Musicians”; “The Seven Acts of Mercy”; “Sick Bacchus”

Movement / Style:: Baroque art and architecture; realism; tenebrism

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News •

Caravaggio’s Magdalene in Ecstasy showcased in India for the first time • May 2, 2025, 3:33 AM ET (The Hindu)