Description
The Fortune Teller is a painting by Caravaggio from about 1595: a foppishly dressed young man in a black feathered hat holds out his palm to a young Romani girl, who reads his fortune and gently slips the ring off his finger as she does so. This second version of the scene, oil on canvas, is 99 cm high and 131 cm wide and belongs to the Musée du Louvre in Paris. Our painter paints it for you by hand in oil on canvas in 8 landscape sizes, from 56 x 41 to 195 x 140 cm, or made to measure, and before it ships we send you a photograph of the finished painting.
| Title: | The Fortune Teller |
| Other titles: | La buona ventura · Die Wahrsagerin |
| Painter: | Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610) |
| Year painted: | c. 1595 |
| Original size: | 99 cm x 131 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Painting style: | Baroque, tenebrism |
| Located at: | Musée du Louvre, Paris |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas, 8 sizes or made to measure |
The Fortune Teller – Caravaggio
What does The Fortune Teller show?
Only two half-length figures share the canvas, standing close together: a young man and a girl who studies his open hand. Behind them rises a pale wall, crossed by the shadows of a half-drawn curtain and a window sash.
The young man wears a black hat with a white feather, a gold doublet and gloves, with a sword at his side. He smiles, pleased with himself, and looks straight into the girl’s face, and she returns his gaze. She has a white headscarf wound like a turban, a white blouse and a red-and-green cloak over one shoulder.
Only when you look closely do you see what the young man misses. While the girl strokes his palm with her fingertips, she is easing the ring from his finger. The whole joke of the painting lies in that tiny movement.
What story does the scene tell?
There is no Bible story or myth here, only a street scene from Rome in the 1590s. Wikipedia counts the first version among the two known genre pieces Caravaggio painted in 1594.
The dandy has paid to hear his future and is so taken with the girl’s smile that he never feels the ring leave him. Wikipedia calls her seductive smile false and him vain.
In 1603 the poet Gaspare Murtola dedicated a madrigal to the painting, asking which was the greater sorcerer: the woman Caravaggio portrays, or the painter who makes her look so alive that we believe in her. The viewer is left in the young man’s shoes, taken in by nothing more than brush and paint.
Why is The Fortune Teller so famous?
Because with it Caravaggio showed that he painted from life. His biographer Giovanni Pietro Bellori tells how, when he was shown the most celebrated ancient statues as models, he pointed instead at the crowd of passers-by and said nature had given him masters enough.
Wikipedia notes that the tale is probably invented, since Bellori wrote it down more than half a century after the painter’s death. Still, it captures the point: in Caravaggio’s hands art turns from instructive fiction into a record of real life, and The Fortune Teller sits at the start of that road.
Both versions and Murtola’s madrigal are covered in the English Wikipedia article.
Where is the original of The Fortune Teller?
In Paris, at the Louvre. This is the second version, which Caravaggio painted for Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte; he entered the cardinal’s household in 1595, the same year the cardinal bought its companion piece, the scene of card cheats.
The first Fortune Teller, from about 1594, is in the Musei Capitolini in Rome. According to Giulio Mancini, poverty forced the painter to sell it for a mere eight scudi; it then passed to the collection of the Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani, who became one of his important patrons.
The second version follows the first with some changes: the plain background becomes a real wall with shadows, the figures fill the space more fully, the light is more radiant and the cloth of the doublet and sleeves is more finely painted. The boy looks younger and more innocently exposed, while the girl leans towards him, firmly in charge. Wikipedia says the model for the young man in this version is believed to be the Sicilian painter Mario Minniti, Caravaggio’s companion; the dates of both paintings are disputed.
The Fortune Teller or another Caravaggio?
The Fortune Teller is a light-hearted, witty canvas painting for a dining room, a hallway or a study. Its natural partner is The Cardsharps, another street scene about deception, bought by the same cardinal.
If a young face lost in its own reflection appeals to you more, choose Narcissus. For a quiet conversation between two sisters there is Martha and Mary Magdalene, and for a large wall The Calling of Saint Matthew.
Our painters make all the famous Caravaggio paintings on the Caravaggio page to order, and The Fortune Teller is one of the few among them that makes people smile.
How does our painter paint your Fortune Teller?
Every Fortune Teller is painted to order, layer by layer, in oil on canvas. The painter starts with the pale wall, its shadows and the outlines of both figures, so that the two pairs of eyes meet exactly where they should.
Then come the fabrics: the sheen of the gold doublet, the soft folds of the headscarf and sleeves, the red-and-green cloak and the white feather on the black hat. The hands ask for the most patience, because the girl’s finger at the ring must be visible without drawing attention to itself.
Your Caravaggio reproduction will show visible brushstrokes in the light passages and a warmth in the faces that no print reaches. Because the background is light, this oil painting reproduction also looks friendly in a room with little daylight.
Which size for which wall?
In short: 56 x 41 or 63 x 48 cm for a desk or a narrow wall, 81 x 60 or 90 x 68 cm for a chest of drawers or an entrance hall, 115 x 89 or 130 x 100 cm above a sofa or dining table, and 170 x 125 or 195 x 140 cm for a large wall.
There are 8 landscape sizes (width x height): 56 x 41, 63 x 48, 81 x 60, 90 x 68, 115 x 89, 130 x 100, 170 x 125 and 195 x 140 cm. The closest to the original is 130 x 100 cm, just 1 cm narrower and 1 cm taller.
As a painting for the living room above the sofa, 130 x 100 cm works best: both faces read clearly from the far side of the room, and the ring comes into view as soon as you step closer. Hang its centre at eye level, or a little lower above a dining table.
Can I order another size or a frame?
Yes. The two figures are gathered in the middle, so the composition adapts readily to other landscape sizes. Tell us the width and height you would like and we will reply with a price and a production time.
The Fortune Teller travels rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or framed; the stretching and framing are done in our workshop in Slovenia. You choose the frame in our 3D app, which is there for frame choice only; a view of the painting on your own wall is a separate service.
A slim gold moulding suits the gold doublet; dark wood calms the scene.
When and how does the painting arrive?
We start painting once your order arrives, and within 15 to 45 working days The Fortune Teller is ready to travel. Before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished painting and, if you wish, make further changes. There are no customs within the EU, Slovenia included, and our returns policy covers every order.
The Fortune Teller makes a witty gift for a newly engaged couple, with a playful warning to keep an eye on the ring. A wall art voucher lets the recipient choose the size themselves.
Frequently asked questions
Which museum has the original?
The Louvre in Paris; the first version is in the Musei Capitolini in Rome.
What is the girl doing with his hand?
She reads his palm and strokes it, and meanwhile quietly slips the ring off his finger.
Is your Fortune Teller a print?
No. It is a hand-painted copy, made by our painter with a brush and oil paints.
How big is the original?
It is 99 cm high and 131 cm wide; our nearest size is 130 x 100 cm.
Who posed for the young man?
Wikipedia says he is believed to be the Sicilian painter Mario Minniti, Caravaggio’s companion.
Why are there two versions?
Caravaggio sold the first and painted the second for Cardinal del Monte, with a real wall and finer fabrics.
Would it suit a bedroom, or work as a present?
Yes. The scene is cheerful and free of violence, and as a gift it usually raises a smile.
How long will I wait?
Usually 15 to 45 working days; the photograph of the finished painting reaches you before dispatch.
- Subject: a young Romani girl reads a dandy’s palm and quietly slips the ring off his finger.
- Original: c. 1595, oil on canvas, 99 x 131 cm, Musée du Louvre, Paris (second version; the first is in the Musei Capitolini, Rome).
- Ours: your Fortune Teller, painted by hand in oil on canvas, in 8 landscape sizes from 56 x 41 to 195 x 140 cm or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: in 1603 the poet Gaspare Murtola wrote a madrigal on the painting, asking who casts the stronger spell, the girl or the painter.
