Artwork
Boy with a Basket of Fruit
Boy with a Basket of Fruit is an oil painting by the Baroque artist Caravaggio. It dates from 1598 and is held in the collection of the Borghese Collection. Created around 1593, this oil on canvas portrays a youthful figure clutching a basket brimming with fruit.
About this work
Its simple composition lets the viewer focus on the careful rendering of the fruit and the boy’s hand.
Boy with a Basket of Fruit is an oil painting made around 1594 by the Italian artist Caravaggio. It shows a young boy holding a basket filled with fruit, painted in the Baroque style.
The work is part of the collection at the Galleria Borghese in Rome. Scholars usually date it to about 1593, early in Caravaggio’s career. Its simple composition lets the viewer focus on the careful rendering of the fruit and the boy’s hand.
Next, explore more about the technique of chiaroscuro.
Overview
Created around 1593, this oil on canvas portrays a youthful figure clutching a basket brimming with fruit. Executed by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, the work exemplifies the early phase of his artistic development and is presently displayed in Rome’s Galleria Borghese.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a boy whose hand steadies a wicker basket overflowing with assorted fruit. The straightforward arrangement invites close observation of the tactile qualities of the objects, suggesting an interest in everyday realism and the study of natural forms rather than allegorical narrative.
Technique & Style
Caravaggio employs a restrained palette and subtle chiaroscuro, allowing light to model the boy’s hand and the fruit’s surfaces with a quiet intensity. The painter’s handling of oil creates a palpable texture, rendering the skin of the fruit and the fabric of the basket with meticulous detail.
History & Provenance
Attributed to Caravaggio shortly after its execution, the painting entered the collection of Cardinal Scipione Borghese in the early 17th century. It has remained in the Galleria Borghese since the museum’s formation, providing a continuous public record of the work’s ownership.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life.
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Still Life with a Basket of Fruit
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